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Challenges for the International Food Sector 117
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media began searching for any information on their own,
through their own sources, recording on-the-spot the images of
thousands of volunteers cleaning up the coast and their lack of
equipment; fishermen showing contaminated fish to the
cameras; and voices of alarm announcing the consequences
this tragedy would have for a fishing industry that not only sup-
plies fish and seafood to Spain, but also to countries such as
France, Italy and Germany. And again, the government took a
wrong turn – self-justification: ‘I cannot remember such an
informative intensity at a government’s level in quality, trans-
parency and in real time as this is’ (Francisco Áblvarez Cascos,
Minister of Public Works, 6 November 2002).

Figure 8.2 People cleaning the coast

What was happening was not considered important. The
President of the Autonomous Regional Government, Manuel
Fraga, was out hunting; the Minister’s whereabouts were
unknown; and President Aznar did not even consider visiting
Galicia until 14 December. Instead of travelling to the disaster
area to have his picture taken with the fuel spill at his back,
President Aznar preferred to appear on television in an interview
granted to the chief editor of the Spanish public TV informative
services. Even then, instead of starting by apologizing, he accused
the opposition party of using the calamity for political gain.
In sum, the government found itself overwhelmed by events
and, performing an exercise in ‘informative autism’, was led to
the dock where public opinion passed sentence on the executive.