TVE airs far-left riot footage during report on far-right rise

A political science professor from UAM analyzed the rise of the far right in Europe on TVE while footage of far-left riots was being broadcast. The choice of graphic material has drawn criticism for not matching the topic discussed.

Late on May 24, TVE's news channel aired an analysis of the electoral growth of the far right in Europe. It was delivered by **Juan Roch**, professor of Political Science at the **Universidad Autónoma de Madrid**. So far, a familiar format: an academic expert provides context on a phenomenon worrying Brussels and several capitals.

## The mismatch between words and images

While Roch explained the reasons behind the advance of far-right parties, the program's direction aired footage of riots led by far-left groups. The mismatch is obvious: the phenomenon being discussed verbally was not the one shown on screen. This was no minor nuance, but a contradiction between the content of the analysis and the graphic material chosen to illustrate it.

The scene condenses a recurring problem in television: the urgency to fill airtime with images can lead to using any archive footage that looks good visually, even if it does not match what is being reported. The result is a confusion that viewers notice immediately.

## Why the choice of footage matters

It is not the first time a news program has used riot footage to illustrate far-right or far-left topics without drawing a precise distinction. The consequence is twofold. On the one hand, a phenomenon is visually associated with violence that does not belong to it. On the other, it reinforces the idea that the media do not distinguish between the extremes, something both poles exploit to their advantage.

Professor Roch is not responsible for the direction. His contribution focused on political analysis. But the segment as a whole is tainted by a technical decision that no one corrected live.

## Public television's responsibility

TVE has a public service mandate that includes accuracy in reporting. An error of this kind, in an analysis segment, is no minor detail. The choice of images is not neutral: it shapes the narrative as much as words do. If the footage contradicts the discourse, the message is weakened and the broadcaster's credibility is exposed.

There is no record of TVE issuing a public correction about this segment. The anecdote, however, serves as a reminder that news television still has a problem with the use of archive footage when the topic is the far right or the far left.