Vox Spokesperson Faces Claimed Misrepresentation on RTVE
On a Wednesday night, a tense exchange unfolded during a live broadcast of Night in 24 Hours on RTVE. At the center of the segment was Pepa Millán, a spokesperson for Vox, confronting questions about the party’s financing. Journalist Esther Palomera sat across the table, pressing Millán as the discussion touched on claims that had already sparked widespread debate. The moment stood out for how Palomera challenged a series of assertions, reframing what was being defended and how it was presented to the public.
Pepa Millán explained that Vox had responded to media inquiries regarding an investigative article focused on the party’s funding. The spokesperson emphasized that Vox had no legal obligation to reply in writing, yet they chose to respond one by one because there was nothing to hide and they believed the answers should be provided directly to the questions raised by journalists.
To illustrate their position, Vox presented a document claiming to contain the exact questions and Vox’s responses. The intention was to demonstrate that the article had appeared that very morning without quoting the words Vox claimed were addressed, suggesting the piece lacked context or misrepresented the party’s replies.
Esther Palomera, seated at the table, challenged the assertion with a pointed on-air rebuttal. She argued that the newspaper is not an email, and that the document Vox showed was an internal draft Vox had created for itself. She explained that the document purportedly showed a journalist visiting Disenso to ask questions and receiving a predetermined answer, but that second email was never sent. Palomera asserted that Millán’s account did not reflect what had actually occurred and that the evidence did not substantiate the claim being made on air.
As the discussion progressed, Millán’s statements appeared to contradict earlier remarks, and host Xabier Fortes stepped in to keep the dialogue focused. Millán argued that public discourse surrounding Vox often labels its members with harsh terms, urging viewers to judge the party on its policies rather than stereotypes. Fortes pressed for concrete clarification, noting that no public television editor had ever described a Vox leader as a fascist. Millán maintained that while the exact word fascist had not been used, a similar label had emerged in the course of the exchange moments earlier, illustrating how easily language can shape perception in a live setting.
The exchange reflected a broader pattern in contemporary political interviews: the tension between asserting a defensive narrative and offering verifiable, on-the-record responses under the spotlight of a public broadcaster. The conversation highlighted how live media can amplify disputes over documents, transparency, and the meaning of interviews when parties advocate different interpretations of the same events. It also underscored the challenges journalists face in pursuing clarity while managing the pace and pressure of a televised debate, especially when the topic involves contested financing and the credibility of information presented to the audience.