Silvia Intxaurrondo: "Se está normalizando que alguien mienta, sea desmentido y siga hablando como si nada"

Silvia Intxaurrondo, a journalist based in Barakaldo, has expressed concern over the growing normalization of falsehoods in public discourse. In a recent statement, she remarked, “It is becoming routine for someone to lie, be refuted, and continue speaking as though nothing happened.” Her comments reflect broader anxieties within the media landscape regarding the erosion of factual integrity and the increasing tolerance for misinformation. Intxaurrondo, known for her work with infoLibre, emphasized that a free press serves as resistance against authoritarian forces. She described this role as one of defiance, refusing to accept predetermined outcomes or inevitable conclusions. According to her, resistance is synonymous with hope and rational optimism. This perspective aligns with infoLibre’s long-standing motto, “We are resistance,” which underscores its commitment to journalistic independence and truth-telling. She further argued that a good journalist must resist multiple pressures: opacity from power structures, the rapid pace of modern reporting, oversimplification of complex realities, and even personal biases. Intxaurrondo stressed that journalists should challenge both pessimism and surrender. When confronted with claims of inevitability, she urged questioning who makes such decisions and who benefits from them. “Many tragedies have authors, budgets, and press offices,” she noted, highlighting how systemic issues often underpin societal problems. In discussing the challenges of contemporary journalism, Intxaurrondo pointed out that the profession is increasingly pressured to prioritize speed over depth. She criticized the tendency to flood readers with trivial updates devoid of real value, rather than offering tools to understand an increasingly complex world. Instead, she advocated treating audiences as participants and partners, not passive consumers. The need to pause, think, and reflect, she argued, is a key differentiator in an era dominated by fleeting news cycles. “But speed no longer distinguishes a journalist; anyone can spread information instantly,” she observed. “The difficulty lies in stopping, organizing facts, and discovering their meaning.” Intxaurrondo acknowledged that these pressures are exacerbated by financial constraints and precarious working conditions. She noted that disposable news, content designed to be quickly consumed, is cheaper to produce. As a result, critical topics such as food security, educational goals, and the living conditions of elderly individuals remain underreported. “We know little about things that matter deeply,” she said, underscoring the consequences of such neglect. She also took responsibility for contributing to public confusion between opinion and fact, noise and relevance, and cynicism and intelligence. However, she cautioned against assigning undue power to journalists, emphasizing that they are not legislators or judges. “We have only a pencil, a voice, and a lot of passion,” she said, acknowledging the limitations of the profession while affirming its importance. Intxaurrondo lamented the growing acceptance of lying, being contradicted, and continuing to speak as if nothing occurred. She cited the 2023 election debate as an example, where regional leader Feijóo made false claims about the Pegasus surveillance scandal. Three years later, she still awaits confirmation of his statements through official channels. “When lying costs nothing, truth begins to seem extravagant,” she concluded. In response to these concerns, Intxaurrondo advocates for a form of journalism that does not shy away from documenting democratic setbacks driven by far-right movements. She believes it is essential to explain which rights are being weakened, who suffers from this loss, and who gains power as a result. While she insists that journalists should not replace citizens, she argues that they must help reveal how such shifts affect society.