The Spanish media landscape is characterised by a high level of concentration at the national level. The privately owned media groups Atresmedia and Mediaset and the public broadcaster RTVE have a monopoly on the market. At the regional level, this sector is marked by a significant presence of public broadcasters allied in the Federation of Regional Radio and Television Entities (FORTA), which increases the risk of political interference. There is more diversity in the print media sector.

Driven by the polarisation of Spanish society, a segment of the media is increasingly replacing news with opinion. Pedro Sánchez's government has made a firm commitment to enforcing the EMFA and combating disinformation. It has passed a series of measures to increase the transparency of media ownership and public advertising revenues, professional secrecy, public access to information and reform of the sector's regulatory body. It remains to be seen how these measures will be implemented.

The government's plans to implement the EMFA are ambitious but depend on fragile parliamentary alliances. For example, electing RTVE's board of directors has required the modification by decree of the majority in parliament and the appointment of a management body for the public broadcaster is influenced by the government and its parliamentary allies, practices that are contrary to the spirit of EU legislation. On the other hand, the announcement of measures against SLAPPs, the repeal of the most controversial articles of the “gag law” and the decriminalisation of opinion crimes are good news.

As part of its plan to apply the EMFA, the government has announced that it will tackle the high level of media concentration in Spain, and that it will approve €100 million in aid to encourage the digitisation of the media. The shift in the sector’s economic model, which threatens the industry’s sustainability, has left Spanish journalism in a state of chronic precarity.

Spanish society is tolerant and open to diversity, respectful of the rights of women and the LGTBIQ+ community, and journalists rarely face pressure other than that coming from the authorities. Nonetheless, the growing polarisation and radicalisation of public opinion is reflected in a climate of hostility towards journalists, one of the professions least appreciated by Spaniards.

The rise of the far right and its visibility on social media has led to an increase in cyber-harassment, although the number of attacks on the fieldwork has decreased in comparison with previous years. The extreme-right Vox party continues to spread false information and prevent journalists from attending its events. The threats and false information from within the entourage of the president of the Madrid region — especially the lawsuit her partner brought against several journalists — are a serious threat to press freedom.