Government Communication in Spain. Leaving Behind the Legacies of the Past

• In Event: Government Communication: Cases and Challenges

Abstract

The issues raised by government communication cut across different main disciplinary areas represented in communication research (Stromback & Kiousius, 2011; Kiosius & Stromback, 2011; Canel & Sanders, 2012 and 2013). This paper attempts to discuss the case of government communication in Spain elaborating on challenges that are put forward when incorporating to the analysis concepts and approaches both from political communication and public relations fields.
More specifically, this paper attempts to further analyze findings about government communication in Spain as has been categorized when compared with other countries (Sanders and Canel, 2013; Canel and Sanders, in press).
Based both upon literature review and in-depth interviews with government spokespeople, analysis shows that the design, organization and legislation relating to government communication in Spain have their roots in a conception of the State that comes from the Franco’s regime. On the one hand, this paper shows that there have been a number of changes (new degrees in organizational and corporate communication, modifications to the organizational chart to give more importance to the rank of those in charge of communication, new courses for civil servants, new definitions of tasks, etc.) that allow to conclude that government communication in Spain may be moving towards a more systematized structure. But at the same time it shows that innovation in communication is hindered by the legacy of the past, featuring today’s challenge to overcome the conception of the State as the prime conveyor and manager of information.
Based on these findings, this paper tries to deal with further debates that are put forward about the development of government communication: new institutional arrangements needed to safeguard government communication from partisanship and self-promotion; issues raised by a recently approved transparency law; challenges relating to the need to renew the staff to rebalance technical with planning and strategic tasks; and the role of the Internet for closer interaction with citizens. All of these challenges are discussed in the context of an increasingly fragmented media sector and an ever less compliant public television station of a country which is in the midst of a deep economic crisis.

Author

• Maria Jose Canel, U Complutense de Madrid