Journalism, disinformation and the arms trade with Israel: keys to scrutinising the official narrative
An event at the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya examined how the media report on arms relations between Spain and Israel and called for greater verification, fact-checking and political accountability.
In a context marked by serious violations of international humanitarian law against the Palestinian people and growing public pressure for an effective arms embargo, on 11 December the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya hosted the event “Disinformation and arms embargo: how should we report on arms relations between Spain and Israel?”, organised by the NOVACT Institute for Nonviolence and the Delàs Centre for Peace Studies as part of the campaign Prou comerç d’armes amb Israel.
The session, now available in full on video, opened a space for critical reflection on media coverage of the arms trade, focusing on official narratives, the role of the media and the need for journalism that goes beyond reproducing institutional statements by verifying data, identifying omissions and holding political authorities accountable.
“Disinformation is not a mistake: it is a planned lie”
The panel was moderated by Bernat Aragó, a disinformation researcher at NOVACT, who framed the debate within a context shaped by opacity, technical language and the political pressure surrounding the arms industry.
Aragó warned that “disinformation is not confusion or misunderstanding, but a planned lie,” and pointed out that the gap between official discourse and the reality of arms trade relations with Israel has become a central space for informational manipulation.
“Words do not stop a genocide”
One of the most forceful statements of the event came from Alys Samson, NOVACT staff member and spokesperson for the Prou comerç d’armes amb Israel campaign: “Words do not stop a genocide.” Samson stressed that despite public statements of condemnation, arms relations between Spain and Israel have not been effectively halted, and that this contradiction is often diluted in media narratives.
She explained that the campaign, promoted by RESCOP (Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine) and made up of more than 600 organisations, has documented for years a pattern of lies, silences and half-truths regarding exports, imports, military transit and contracts with Israeli companies. This work is based on publicly available data and research conducted by the Delàs Centre for Peace Studies.
Samson also warned that Royal Decree-Law 10/2025, presented by the Spanish government as an arms embargo on Israel, is a partial measure with numerous exceptions that still allows material links with the Israeli military industry.
Social media, information overload and the crisis of journalism
Journalist and researcher Marta Meneu, from the University of Valencia, broadened the focus to the digital ecosystem. Meneu distinguished between misinformation without intent and deliberate disinformation, stressing that the key to analysing content is asking what intention lies behind it and who benefits.
She described a communication environment marked by information overload, polarisation and algorithms that favour simplified and viral messages, warning that part of the public ends up avoiding complex or painful information, such as that related to Palestine. In this context, she argued for strengthening fact-checking journalism and media literacy, as well as providing newsrooms with more resources and time.
Institutional opacity and a false embargo
In his intervention, Eduardo Melero, professor of administrative law and researcher at the Delàs Centre, debunked some of the main myths surrounding the arms embargo on Israel. Melero explained that there are multiple areas of arms-related relations —from contracts and patents to port transit and research projects— and that the current legal framework regulates only a very limited part of them.
He also denounced the lack of institutional transparency, such as the confidential nature of the minutes of the Interministerial Board that authorises arms exports, warning that this opacity hampers both public scrutiny and journalistic work.
Scrutinising the narrative to defend human rights
The event concluded with a shared idea: in a context of genocide and serious human rights violations in Palestine, journalism cannot merely reproduce official narratives or political announcements. Verifying data, consulting independent sources and questioning institutional narratives is a key responsibility to ensure rigorous information that contributes meaningfully to public debate.
NOVACT and the Delàs Centre stressed that a demanding information culture is essential to scrutinise arms policies and to place the defence of human rights at the centre of the media agenda.