Intereconomía and Veo7: the Spanish TV channels that told the truth about the crisis
Intereconomía and Veo7 were named as the channels that told the most truths about Spain's economic crisis, despite their openly declared ideological bias.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Which TV channels told the truth about the economy during the crisis? Intereconomía, Veo7 and media scepticism
In the middle of the financial storm of 2009-2010, when bank bailouts and the explosion of the public deficit dominated the agenda, a growing part of the audience was looking for channels that didn't gloss over reality. The debate over which television channels offered the most truthful economic information intensified, and two names emerged strongly: Intereconomía and Veo7. Not for their supposed objectivity, but precisely for the opposite: acknowledging their ideological bias and, paradoxically, gaining credibility that way among those who distrusted the official narrative.
The 'proud to be right-wing' factor
Intereconomía adopted the slogan "proud to be right-wing", a statement of intent that, for many viewers, felt more honest than the false neutrality of other channels. While La Sens, Cuatro or CNN+ presented themselves as independent channels but were perceived as clearly leaning to the left, Intereconomía and Veo7 did not hide their position. This transparency created a bond of trust: if the channel admits its bias, viewers can keep a critical distance. In practice, however, the editorial line translated into a systematic attack on Zapatero's government, with pundits such as Román Cendoya or Roberto Centeno denouncing the "partitocracy" and the "dictatorship of the State". Criticisms that, according to many, also targeted the PP as much as the PSOE, but whose main focus was the Socialist government.
Data versus propaganda: the economics desk as a thermometer
A revealing indicator was Telecinco's decision in February 2007 to scrap its economics desk, only to reverse course after protests. The anecdote, brought up in the debate, illustrated how the major generalist channels relegated economic news to the background precisely when it was most needed. By contrast, Intereconomía kept a specialised schedule: stock market analysis in the mornings; talk shows such as "Cierre de mercados" in the afternoons, along with appearances by figures like Marc Vidal, author of "Contra la cultura del subsidio" (Against the culture of welfare). Veo7, for its part, offered programmes such as Carlos Cuesta's, and both channels were among the first to openly predict a bailout for Spain, something the "officialist" channels treated as taboo.
The other side of the coin: sectarianism and manipulation
It wasn't all trust. Critics pointed out that Intereconomía fell into an inverse sectarianism, with an obsession against Zapatero that distorted any economic debate. The presence of PP pundits, such as the then Madrid regional councillor, undermined objectivity, although the counterpoint came from the economist Carmona, linked to the PSOE. Moreover, in October 2009, an Intereconomía programme on abortion caused controversy over what was described as "macabre manipulation" when interviewing a young girl. The line between news and propaganda was blurry.
The legacy of a debate that never ages
More than fifteen years later, the discussion over which channels told the truth about the economy remains open. Back then, the tacit conclusion was that no channel was entirely reliable, but that those which acknowledged their bias – like Intereconomía and Veo7 – generated less rejection than those disguised as objective. Time proved that they were indeed the first to point out the severity of the banking crisis and the risk of a bailout, while the rest dismissed them as alarmists. But it also showed that their discourse, marked by dogmatic ultra-liberalism, often concealed 19th-century solutions to 21st-century problems. In the end, the debate had no easy answer: the truth in economics depended as much on the broadcaster as on the viewer's ability to read between the lines.
Related debates in the forum
In the middle of the financial storm of 2009-2010, when bank bailouts and the explosion of the public deficit dominated the agenda, a growing part of the audience was looking for channels that didn't gloss over reality. The debate over which television channels offered the most truthful economic information intensified, and two names emerged strongly: Intereconomía and Veo7. Not for their supposed objectivity, but precisely for the opposite: acknowledging their ideological bias and, paradoxically, gaining credibility that way among those who distrusted the official narrative.
The 'proud to be right-wing' factor
Intereconomía adopted the slogan "proud to be right-wing", a statement of intent that, for many viewers, felt more honest than the false neutrality of other channels. While La Sens, Cuatro or CNN+ presented themselves as independent channels but were perceived as clearly leaning to the left, Intereconomía and Veo7 did not hide their position. This transparency created a bond of trust: if the channel admits its bias, viewers can keep a critical distance. In practice, however, the editorial line translated into a systematic attack on Zapatero's government, with pundits such as Román Cendoya or Roberto Centeno denouncing the "partitocracy" and the "dictatorship of the State". Criticisms that, according to many, also targeted the PP as much as the PSOE, but whose main focus was the Socialist government.
Data versus propaganda: the economics desk as a thermometer
A revealing indicator was Telecinco's decision in February 2007 to scrap its economics desk, only to reverse course after protests. The anecdote, brought up in the debate, illustrated how the major generalist channels relegated economic news to the background precisely when it was most needed. By contrast, Intereconomía kept a specialised schedule: stock market analysis in the mornings; talk shows such as "Cierre de mercados" in the afternoons, along with appearances by figures like Marc Vidal, author of "Contra la cultura del subsidio" (Against the culture of welfare). Veo7, for its part, offered programmes such as Carlos Cuesta's, and both channels were among the first to openly predict a bailout for Spain, something the "officialist" channels treated as taboo.
The other side of the coin: sectarianism and manipulation
It wasn't all trust. Critics pointed out that Intereconomía fell into an inverse sectarianism, with an obsession against Zapatero that distorted any economic debate. The presence of PP pundits, such as the then Madrid regional councillor, undermined objectivity, although the counterpoint came from the economist Carmona, linked to the PSOE. Moreover, in October 2009, an Intereconomía programme on abortion caused controversy over what was described as "macabre manipulation" when interviewing a young girl. The line between news and propaganda was blurry.
The legacy of a debate that never ages
More than fifteen years later, the discussion over which channels told the truth about the economy remains open. Back then, the tacit conclusion was that no channel was entirely reliable, but that those which acknowledged their bias – like Intereconomía and Veo7 – generated less rejection than those disguised as objective. Time proved that they were indeed the first to point out the severity of the banking crisis and the risk of a bailout, while the rest dismissed them as alarmists. But it also showed that their discourse, marked by dogmatic ultra-liberalism, often concealed 19th-century solutions to 21st-century problems. In the end, the debate had no easy answer: the truth in economics depended as much on the broadcaster as on the viewer's ability to read between the lines.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (38 replies).
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