Media Censorship Under Franco’s Dictatorship in Spain
Media Censorship Under Franco’s Dictatorship
The media suffered greatly during the Franco dictatorship due to censorship and control. Freedom of the press did not exist until 1977. This era is immortalized on television with nude women and movies featuring Esteso, Fernando, and Jose Luis Pajares.
State Control of Press and Propaganda
In 1937, the State Delegation for Press and Propaganda was created. In 1938, the Interior Ministry, led by Ramón Serrano Suner, decreed the Press Law. This law of war remained in force until 1966. Consequently, the media conveyed the orders of the State, whether public or private.
In 1939, the Official Register of Journalists was created, and Franco was assigned license number one. That same year, the news agency EFE was established, becoming a state monopoly in the distribution of information. In 1941, the Official School of Journalism was created, requiring students to be active in the FET de las JONS.
In 1942, the Spanish Service Auscultation of Public Opinion was born. Also in 1942, the Noticiario Documentary (NO-DO) was created. Each film lasted 10 minutes and was required to be projected before movies in cinemas throughout Spain until 1975. Through NO-DO, data was transmitted, and the figure of the Caudillo was exalted.
Advertising and Content Restrictions
Advertising content had to pass through censorship. It was forbidden to write anything that might damage the prestige of the nation, the Army, or the government. In 1942, discussing violence in football, black music, and other foreign music was prohibited. Furthermore, all media had to publish the speeches of the Leader.
In 1951, the information policy of the regime was reorganized around the Ministry of Information and Tourism. In 1966, the Press Law (Ley de Prensa aperturista) was created at the initiative of then Minister Manuel Fraga, embedded in the expanding economy of the 1960s. Prior censorship was suspended, and the system of slogans ended, although seizures of publications continued.
State Ownership and Private Media
The state was the owner of the media in Spain until 1975, owning a total of 49 radio stations, agencies EFE and Pyres, the National Editorial, and Spanish Television. The most important private media groups were:
- Editorial Catolica, which published the Journal
- Spanish Press, with ABC
- Godo Group, with The Vanguard
- Editorial Bilbao, in The Courier-Spanish Basque Village
On radio, private companies were the most numerous, with the most prominent being the Spanish Society of Broadcasting (SER) and the Popular Wave Chain (COPE).
Independent Publications
Among the publications that managed to maintain some independence, not without problems and criticisms, was The Quail, founded in 1941 by Miguel Mihura. This humor magazine had a weekly circulation and featured partners like Mingote, Chumy Chúmez, Seraphim, Tone, Jardiel Poncela, Ramon Gomez de la Serna, José Luis Coll, Carlos Luis Alvarez, Candido, and Maximum.
In 1944, Alvaro de Laiglesia directed it, and it disappeared in 1978. There were other satirical magazines such as Brother Lobo, El Papus, and Por Favor.
Radio and Television
In 1956, with the advent of the transistor radio, audience numbers exceeded those of the daily press. Among the radio programs highlighted at the time were the office of Ellen Francis, Mistress Rosa, The blood is red, and thing that never dies. In the 1960s, television was the big winner. Leading television programs included Study 1, Historias para no dormir, documentaries by Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente, and Chiripitifláuticos.