Overview
- El Confidencial published details on Tuesday of a 54‑page Interior Ministry file that reportedly contains about 281 fiches profiling journalists, panelists and some politicians with photos, short descriptions and ideological labels.
- The government and the Interior Ministry have acknowledged the document exists, described it as a 2024 'documento de trabajo' for internal consultation and apologized to any professionals offended by its content.
- Interior officials have denied illicit intent, said the file was not a blacklist and asserted it was not used to condition state advertising or to give preferential treatment to outlets.
- National press bodies including FAPE and the Association of Journalists of Madrid condemned the dossier as ideological profiling that threatens press freedom and have called for explanations and oversight.
- Reporting says the file was kept with restricted access for around two years and created internal resistance inside the ministry, leaving questions about who authored the most sensitive sections and what administrative or legal steps will follow.