Overview
- The 54-page dossier, prepared by the Interior Ministry’s Communications Office and published by El Confidencial, lists 281 journalists with photos and brief notes about their ideological alignment and stance toward the government.
- The Interior Ministry has apologized and described the file as an internal “documento de trabajo,” with Minister Fernando Grande‑Marlaska and spokesperson Elma Saiz denying any censorial aim.
- Major press bodies including FAPE, APM and the Association of Parliamentary Journalists condemned the practice and demanded it stop, while opposition parties pressed for explanations and some called for Marlaska’s dismissal.
- The Spanish Data Protection Agency opened an ex officio probe to assess the dossier’s purpose, legal basis and handling of political opinions, which are treated as special-category data under the EU GDPR.
- Watch for parliamentary questions, the AEPD’s findings on Articles 5, 6 and 9 of the GDPR, and possible reputational or legal consequences for the ministry if the regulator finds unlawful processing that undermined press independence.