The press promised to tell you the truth. David Jiménez tells you the truth about the press.
David Jiménez hardened as a journalist covering wars, disasters and revolutions for almost two decades before being appointed as the director of the newspaper El Mundo. What seemed like an exciting challenge –directing the newspaper where he interned when he was 23 years old- turned into a battle for the defense of the independence of the newspaper from the political and economic establishment decided to control it.
Jiménez offers a unique story about how life happens within the editorial office –its characters, rivalries, traumas and successes-, about how the game of favours works between the media and the power, and the price that people who decide not to participate in it have to pay. Presidents, kings, ministers, bankers, money lords, police chiefs and journalists star in this chronicle about the unspeakable secrets of journalism and the threads that govern Spain.
The Director (El Director) is, besides, an intimate portrait of the ethical crossroads, the personal relationships, the friendships and the betrayals that one goes through when occupying the office of one of the biggest newspapers in the country.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: David Jiménez was the director of El Mundo, a one of the main Spanish newspapers. Jiménez has written and published articles for The Guardian, The Toronto Star, The Sunday Times and Esquire, and he has collaborated with CNN and BBC.
Jiménez was awarded with the Premio Internacional de Literatura de Viajes Camino del Cid.
After publishing The Editor in Chief, David Jiménez appeared in every single headline in the media: “El Mundo is on fire: denials and complaints have been brought to light” (El Confidencial newspaper); “The book in which Jiménez exposes all sort of issues with relation to the bizarre love triangle between press, power and capital, which starred his year running El Mundo newspaper” (El Salto newspaper); “It’s time to talk about mysery in journalism” (La Voz del Sur digital newspaper).
His work was highly criticized by his colleagues. However, according to the author, this is what he needed to prove how necessary this publication was.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: In development for Film format.
LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish, Chinese, Catalan
