Catalonia's presence in international newspapers increases in 2023

Catalonia's presence in the international press increased again in 2023, with a total of 427 articles about Catalonia published in ten major newspapers, compared to 117 in 2022, according to a new report by the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT).

Political topics dominate the news about Catalonia with 46% of the coverage. Social issues, including the widespread drought in Catalonia, take up a notable 23% of the coverage, while sports, particularly the events surrounding FC Barcelona, account for 18%. 

Among the news items about Catalonia with a predominantly positive tone are those related to gastronomy (92%) and those published in the run-up to the Spanish elections (21%). The Guardian stood out for its regular positive coverage of political events in Catalonia, such as an op-ed supporting the amnesty law.

News with a more negative tone are those related to the protests against the Socialists' agreements with pro-independence Junts and Esquerra and the amnesty bill (67%), the appointment of Pedro Sánchez as PM (50%), and the impact of the drought (46%).

Many personalities in the news about Catalonia are Spanish politicians, with Pedro Sánchez topping the list (42%). Among Catalans, Carles Puigdemont comes second (27%) and Catalan President Pere Aragonès is a distant eighth (3%).

German newspapers reported 31% of the news about Catalonia, followed by France with 24%, Italy with 19%, the United Kingdom with 17% and the United States with 9%.

Compared to other years, Catalonia received the most attention in the international press in 2021, with 1,021 articles published, following the aftermath of the 2017 independence referendum and the outbreak of the pandemic. 

Since 2019, DIPLOCAT has monitored the presence of Catalonia in ten major publications: The Washington Post and The New York Times in the US, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph in the UK, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitung in Germany, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica in Italy, and Le Figaro and Le Monde in France.