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Facts about Gibraltar being distorted in Spain
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by Leo Olivero
The media wields tremendous influence in most societies including ours.
Newspapers, radio, television, and the new media like the internet and social media networks not only spread information, but also help determine what topics and stories people talk about and the level of public influence that is eventually reached.
This happens in focused reporting on certain issues, when the truth or the reality of the situation is ignored, incorrectly interpreted or the whole issue in question is manipulated to serve a common purpose…Which is exactly what is occurring with the Fishing Dispute - where Gibraltar is being made to look by the spanish mainstream media as the Aggressor (basically the bad guy) and the poor old starving growing number of Spanish fishermen and families the unfortunate victims!
Since the start of the current fishing dispute Spanish officialdom have manipulated Spanish public opinion aggressively and negatively against Gibraltar and its people.
The media in Spain like everywhere should strive to tell the truth, easier said than done particularly where our neighbour is concerned. But what is the ‘truth’ to the Spanish media especially regarding Gibraltar and the current fishing dispute? I’ll tell you the truth, to these people their truth, mostly consists of all the distorted facts and lies which have we have seen, read and heard. These lies have one unavoidable end result…more lies and twisted untruths, of course!
I have already said in a previous article on this issue that no matter how many times the Chief Minister or anyone else appears on Spanish TV, it will make little or negligible headway in convincing the people in Spain that Gibraltar is not what they have told them it is by their own government and information services.
To put the foot on the other shoe who does the ordinary Gibraltarian believe the Spanish government when it says Gib has no waters, or their own government who reiterates the complete opposite, well it’s the same for the vast majority of Spaniards I’m afraid… THEY BELIEVE THEIR OWN!
Only a few days ago the Gibraltar’s Chief Minister was repeatedly called a liar, also insulted on the same programme was Minister John Cortes. All this on the same TV channel the CM appeared a week earlier.
Mr. Picardo has been invited to appear on the Tele 5 show, I hope he doesn’t accept this invitation, because if he does, he will be coming down to the sewer level this programme has reached, particularly regarding Gibraltar.
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar does not have to prove anything to the producers of a TV station who are only out to boost their own TV ratings at Gibraltar’s expense! Because no sooner will Mr. Picardo have finished this show (if he were to attend) when they will turn it all around against Gibraltar!
I stand for what I said in my last column about presenting Gibraltar’s case in a more effective, productive and widespread manner. Gibraltar doesn’t need to convince Spain about anything, because it won’t! If we haven’t convinced them in over 300 years, I can’t see that happening any time soon, particularly whilst the present PP administration is in power.
The Gibraltar Government, as I have said before, should take advantage of all the resources at its disposal and harness this to make a major counter-offensive, on a wider scale, to combat all the crap said against Gibraltar from the Spainish government and others regarding the fishing dispute, territorial waters and all the other historical Gibraltar lies they have exhumed from Franco’s grave!
11-06-12
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