The JEC denies RTVE that Atresmedia must give it the signal for the face-to-face between Sánchez and Feijóo

MADRID, 7 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Central Electoral Board (JEC) has denied this Friday RTVE's request on whether "the conditions are met" to urge Atresmedia to give them the live signal of the face-to-face between the candidates for the Presidency of the Government, Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) and Alberto Núñez Feijóo (PP), next Monday, July 10.

The public corporation asked the arbitration body to rule on whether the private group should proceed to "distribute the clean signal live" of the electoral debate "for its dissemination through all the information channels (radio, television and digital) of the provided by the RTVE corporation in order to guarantee the maximum dissemination of information both in the national and international territory".

In the resolution of the consultation, to which Europa Press has had access, the Presidency of the JEC, which has decision-making capacity for urgent issues, ensures that "it is not appropriate to access" those requested by public radio and television and recalls that Atresmedia, "in the exercise of its autonomy of organization and operation", it can "freely" agree to the transfer of the signal of its program for its diffusion by other means of communication.

Thus, the JEC points out that in order for it to be able to require the private group "the mandatory transfer of the signal" from face to face, it is necessary that "particularly relevant circumstances exist to duly justify the limitation of the freedom of enterprise that corresponds to the communication group and the consequent autonomy that it has for its dissemination". "In the present case, it is clear that the debate is going to have a sufficiently wide diffusion so that access by citizens to the aforementioned debate cannot be questioned," he concluded.

In this sense, Atresmedia argued that it was the two main candidates who "have freely chosen the medium to carry out the debate, and not just one as RTVE claims." From the communication group they also ensure that "wide dissemination" will be given to face to face "without therefore there being a risk of restricting the information to which voters must have access."

In addition, it invokes respect for press freedom recognized in article 38 of the Constitution and stresses that what RTVE is seeking "is an interference in Atresmedia's freedom of the press, without the circumstances concurring to establish that limitation to its right" .

Atresmedia also highlighted that, as it is a private medium, it would lose advertising revenue if RTVE's request were granted, for which reason they requested that the claim be archived.

On the other hand, they detail that the debate "will be broadcast open and live, with a free signal, on the two Atresmedia television channels with national coverage, Antena 3 and La Sexta, as well as on the Antena 3 Internacional channel", Onda Cero , the website or the Atresplayer platform. As for other means of communication, the private group assures that it has offered to those who have requested it to be able to broadcast it live over the Internet.

Once the debate is over, Atresmedia will provide the full recording of the debate for informative use on a deferred basis and without limitations of any kind. "In this way, the coverage for citizens will be maximum, in order to fully guarantee the fundamental right to information," explains the group from San Sebastián de los Reyes.