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Spain’s Opinion Pages Reframe María Pombo Debate as a Question of Choice and Reading’s Momentum

Editorial commentary turns from online jeers to what reading offers.

Overview

  • After María Pombo said readers are not better than non-readers, a home video showing shelves without books drew criticism and defenses on social media.
  • Faro de Vigo defends her right to voice an uncomfortable view and frames reading or not as a voluntary act grounded in freedom of expression.
  • The same column encourages her to try books, highlighting benefits such as personal time, reflection, richer language, and self-exploration.
  • La Vanguardia argues that reading does not confer moral superiority and points to data showing an improvement in reading rates to be discussed at Forum Edita Barcelona.
  • The forum’s tenth edition opens with reports of rising youth readership, especially among girls, alongside signs of a resilient books-and-bookstore ecosystem.