International

Miguel Ángel Oliver: The EFE Agency is an antidote against racism

The president of the EFE Agency, Miguel Ángel Oliver, said on Tuesday that the EFE Agency is “an antidote against racism” during the presentation of the New Urgent Style Manual at the headquarters of the Cervantes Institute of Rabat.

“EFE, through the new book, is an antidote against racism. When immigrants are rejected for ethnic or social reasons, it is simply racism,” Oliver stressed when closing a round table entitled “The debate on immigration in the media: when the story kills the data.”

Oliver recalled that journalists have the duty to tell the stories of emigrants and to fight that hate speech against these people: “Put names to the drama, faces and voices,” he insisted.

He stressed that there are media that work against this hate speech. In this sense, he pointed out that media such as EFE and RTVE “are an example of responsible treatment of migration information.”

It is important to humanize the stories of migrants

On this issue, the Moroccan and Spanish journalists who participated in the round table agreed on the need to humanize the stories of migrants, give them a voice without entering into controversy, and avoid degrading language.

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During the debate, the speakers stressed the need not to neglect the personal stories of each migrant, and not to limit themselves to providing figures of people who tried to cross into Europe.

“Journalists must be on the side of the marginalized who will never make it to the news. The journalist has to be critical of governments. Behind thousands of people crossing, you have to spend time telling the story of Pepe, Fátima…”, said Ana Jiménez, TVE correspondent in Morocco.

The Spanish journalist stressed that the data is forgotten but the personal stories or shocking images, such as that of Luna hugging the migrant Abdou, who went viral during the massive entry of emigrants into the Spanish city of Ceuta in May 2021, reach the consciousness of the viewers.

The EFE Agency’s manual to cover migration issues

One of the points on which the speakers insisted is that of the words used to cover migration issues or to refer to migrants.

Jiménez acknowledged that he learned, thanks to style books – such as EFE – or the work of NGOs to differentiate between “jump” and “assault”: the latter term is usually used in the media to refer to the attempt of migrants to jump the border fence of Ceuta or Melilla but it is a word that is associated with weapons, which migrants do not carry.

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In the same sense, Mohamed Ezzouak, director of the Moroccan electronic newspaper ‘Yabiladi’ – which gives special importance to the issues of the Moroccan diaspora abroad – recognized that because of the words we sometimes “animalize” the migrant using degrading words.

Ezzouak recalled some episodes in the past in the Moroccan press where sub-Saharan migrants were labeled “black plague” or even “cockroaches.”

“But the Moroccan media criticized this coverage,” said the journalist, who stressed that these are isolated situations in which it does not reflect the temperament of a country, where there is no polemical debate about emigration, unlike countries like Spain or France.

The correct terms must be used

In the same sense, Ghita Ismaili, journalist of the Moroccan weekly in French ‘Telquel’, stressed the difference between Spain and France, where “emigration is a daily issue” and where there is a political debate animated by the right and extreme right, a point in which he has cited Vox.

“When we refer to emigration in the Moroccan media it is done differently, emigration is very factual, there are not many comments, and the news is more about rescues made by the country’s authorities and the Royal Navy,” he said.

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Ismaili recalled that the last time there was debate and the news of migrants monopolized the front pages of the media was after the call for the mass crossing to Ceuta on September 15, which went viral on social networks and led about 3,000 people, mostly Moroccans, to try.

The new EFE Style Book, whose first edition was published in 2011, has a different structure, reviews and rewrites much of its material and incorporates a multitude of aspects that have appeared or gained importance in recent years in the newsrooms of EFE and all media, such as social networks or artificial intelligence.

The coordinator of the guide, Javier Lascuráin, explained during the round table that the work includes the ethical, professional and linguistic principles of the public agency and broke down some of the considerations that are included in the treatment of migration: avoid pejorative terms such as “avalanche” or “mena”, give voice to migrants, among others.

International

Nine People Killed in Two Armed Attacks in Manabí, Ecuador

At least nine people were killed Monday in two nearly simultaneous armed attacks in the province of Manabí, located on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, one of the areas hardest hit by violence in the country, according to the National Police.

The first attack left seven people dead and took place in Camarones, a rural area of the Jama canton. The second occurred in the sector known as La Y, in the seaside town of Canoa, part of the San Vicente canton, where two people were killed.

According to preliminary reports, both incidents occurred early Monday morning when armed men intercepted the victims. Authorities said the motives behind the attacks remain under investigation.

The assault in Camarones happened around 1:15 a.m. local time, when a group of armed individuals stormed a ranch in the area. The victims have not yet been officially identified.

About 15 minutes later, in Canoa, two men traveling in a motorized taxi were intercepted by armed suspects riding motorcycles and shot. One of the victims was identified as a 28-year-old passenger, while the identity of the driver has not yet been confirmed.

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The attacks occurred just days after another multiple homicide on February 12 at a ranch in San Juan de las Cucarachas, a rural area of the Santa Ana canton in Manabí, which left six people dead.

Manabí has been experiencing escalating insecurity linked to disputes among organized crime groups, including drug trafficking networks and territorial control conflicts. In response, the government has maintained a state of emergency in the province since August to address the surge in violence attributed to these criminal organizations.

International

Over 40 Million Affected by Major Snowstorm in Northeastern U.S.

More than 40 million people across the northeastern United States are facing a new major snowstorm this Monday, including residents of New York City, where local authorities have shut down roads to traffic.

The storm triggered widespread flight cancellations early in the morning and caused power outages affecting thousands of homes and businesses throughout the region.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani banned non-essential vehicle travel at least until noon and ordered the closure of public schools as a precautionary measure. Authorities in neighboring states, including New Jersey and Rhode Island, imposed similar restrictions to ensure public safety.

This marks the second major winter storm to hit the East Coast in less than a month, leading to growing frustration among residents.

“I’m fed up. I don’t want to see another snowflake,” said Vincent Greer, a resident of Wildwood, New Jersey, as he shoveled accumulated snow from in front of his building.

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Officials continue to urge residents to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary travel, and monitor local advisories as crews work to clear roads and restore power.

International

Ninth Victim Recovered After Deadliest U.S. Avalanche in Decades

Rescue teams in California on Saturday recovered the body of the ninth and final victim of a deadly avalanche in the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the local sheriff’s office.

The avalanche struck a group of 11 skiers and four guides on Tuesday as they were returning from a three-day backcountry trip near Castle Peak, a 2,777-meter (9,111-foot) mountain and popular tourist destination on the U.S. West Coast.

Six people were rescued alive on Tuesday. Authorities said the incident marks the deadliest avalanche in the United States since 1981.

“All nine individuals who lost their lives in the February 17 Castle Peak avalanche have been safely recovered from the mountain,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“There are no words that can truly capture the magnitude of this loss, and our hearts grieve alongside the families affected by this catastrophic event,” Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

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Officials had warned on Thursday that search operations would likely continue through the weekend due to severe weather conditions in the area.

Survivors were able to call for help shortly after the avalanche occurred. However, near-zero visibility and the risk of additional snow slides prevented rescue teams from reaching them for several hours.