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.
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.
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.
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
Supreme Court allows Trump to proceed with massive layoffs at Education Department
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to proceed with his plan for massive layoffs at the Department of Education, overturning a lower court injunction that had blocked the effort.
The ruling nullifies a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts in response to a lawsuit filed by about twenty states, teachers’ unions, and school districts.
Until now, the order had prevented the federal government from carrying out Trump’s plan, announced at the end of March, to cut one-third of the Department’s more than 4,100 employees this year alone.
The Trump administration, which has acknowledged it cannot shut down the Department since that power belongs to Congress, intends to dismantle the agency so that it only retains core functions, such as managing student aid, scholarships, and loans.
Ultimately, the project aims to reduce the Department’s workforce by half, with the goal of returning education powers to the states and eliminating what the administration considers federal budget waste.
As is common in emergency rulings, the majority of justices did not provide a detailed explanation for their decision, which was opposed by the Court’s three liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Elena Kagan.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the ruling confirms “the obvious: that the President of the United States, as head of the executive branch, ultimately has the authority to make decisions about personnel, agency organization, and day-to-day operations.”
“While today’s ruling is an important victory for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the country had to intervene to allow President Trump to move forward with the reforms Americans elected him to implement using the constitutional authorities granted to him,” McMahon added in a statement.
Internacionales
U.S. plans five new ‘Alligator Alcatraz’-style migrant detention centers
The U.S. government announced plans to build five new mega detention centers for migrants, modeled after the controversial facility recently opened in Florida, nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ by activists and opponents.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that President Donald Trump’s administration is already in talks with five Republican-led states to replicate the model used in the wetlands of southern Florida. “We are working to expand this strategy to more territories with state governments committed to border security,” she said.
These statements follow remarks by Stephen Miller, Trump’s chief immigration advisor, who urged Republican governors in a Fox News interview to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to facilitate the construction of new centers.
“Pick up the phone, call DHS, work with us to build facilities in your state so we can remove illegals and criminals,” Miller said.
The Florida detention center has faced strong criticism from Democratic lawmakers and human rights organizations due to the inhumane conditions faced by detained migrants. Located in a reptile-infested wetland reserve, the site has become highly controversial.
Last Saturday, a group of Florida federal and state legislators reported that about 750 migrants were “in cages” at the facility after inspecting the site. While Congress members were allowed access, the press remains banned.
Early reports from detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ describe extreme heat, high humidity, scarce potable water, spoiled food, and makeshift tents used as confinement areas. These conditions have been labeled “inhumane” by migrants themselves and civil organizations.
International
Trump gives Russia 50 days to end war in Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Tuesday his 50-day ultimatum for Russia to halt its military operations in Ukraine and warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not to launch attacks on Moscow.
When asked whether the 50-day timeline was too long, Trump firmly rejected the idea: “I don’t think 50 days is a long time; it could even be less,” he said.
Trump also deflected responsibility for the ongoing war, once again blaming his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the conflict that erupted following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, Trump announced a new round of military aid to Ukraine and threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Russia, as well as secondary sanctions on countries that continue doing business with Moscow, unless a peace deal is reached within the 50-day window.
In response, the Kremlin said Tuesday that it needs “time to analyze what has been said in Washington.”
Trump’s remarks mark a notable shift in tone towards Russia, a country with which he had recently sought closer ties. His frustration appears to stem from President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to cease the bombings during ongoing peace negotiations.
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