Federico Jiménez Losantos
Encyclopedia
Federico Jiménez Losantos is a popular and controversial Spanish
pundit, being most known for his radio talk show, but also a TV host and literary author.
He was born in Orihuela del Tremedal
, Teruel, on September 15, 1951.
) in the University of Barcelona
and was a senior teacher of Spanish Literature
at the Instituto Lope de Vega, a high school in Madrid
.
, where he got his degrees and lived before and during the Spanish transition to democracy
.
He grew disillusioned with the communist creed as a result of a journey to Maoist China, where he had gone to receive military and ideological training, but, having realized instead of the real situation of the populace and the thorough control it was subjected to, this journey triggered a complete reversal of his political stances.
Nowadays he defines himself as classic liberal, while opponents accuse him of being close to the European hard right. In all, often his views can be close to those of right libertarianism. He is particularly positioned against the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
, which he argues is understanding with terrorists in Spain and abroad, on the one side and Catalan
and Basque nationalism
(and what he sees as their alleged historical revisionism
) on the other side.
His views are unusual within Spanish journalism, as he supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq
and believes Global warming
is not caused by human activity. He has been highly critical of Juan Carlos I of Spain
, arguing that he should have opposed the PSOE government over its policies in the Basque country
and Catalonia and should resign.
terrorist organization Terra Lliure
, then released after having been shot in the leg. This was in reprisal for having signed a manifesto demanding an end to the Catalan regional government
's then new language policies
which implemented the preponderance of the use of Catalan
over Spanish
. The aforementioned policies were initially meant for official governmental usage and intended to reverse the Language politics in Spain under Franco
. They were implemented following the correspondent law as approved by the Catalan Parliament.
. He has since worked in Antena 3 Radio and afterwards in the Spanish radio network COPE. After a year living in Miami, he returned to Spain
and took charge of La Linterna, a night program in Spanish radio. In 2003 he became director of La Mañana, and started becoming increasingly popular in the morning radio. With La Mañana he became one of the most listened-to radio talk show hosts in Spain until he parted ways in July 2009.
He is founder and editor of the Spanish and self-styled liberal on-line newspaper Libertad Digital
. He is also is a regular columnist for El Mundo
and has written several books, mostly on political topics, but, lately, he also debuted in poetry with a book of haiku
s. In 2005 he founded The Spain Herald, an English-language digest of articles from Libertad Digital. The Spain Herald has been off-line since June 2006.
He has been successfully prosecuted on a number of occasions for defamatory pronouncements, including being legally prompted, along with his employers COPE, to pay compensation of 60,000 euros to the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
political party, which was donated to non-profit organisations.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
pundit, being most known for his radio talk show, but also a TV host and literary author.
He was born in Orihuela del Tremedal
Orihuela del Tremedal
Orihuela del Tremedal is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 605 inhabitants....
, Teruel, on September 15, 1951.
Education
He earned a degree in Spanish Studies (section PhilologyPhilology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
) in the University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
and was a senior teacher of Spanish Literature
Spanish literature
Spanish literature generally refers to literature written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the state of Spain...
at the Instituto Lope de Vega, a high school in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Career
During the early 1970s, Jiménez Losantos was an active anti-Francoist member in different illegal maoist and communist organizations based in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, where he got his degrees and lived before and during the Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
.
He grew disillusioned with the communist creed as a result of a journey to Maoist China, where he had gone to receive military and ideological training, but, having realized instead of the real situation of the populace and the thorough control it was subjected to, this journey triggered a complete reversal of his political stances.
Nowadays he defines himself as classic liberal, while opponents accuse him of being close to the European hard right. In all, often his views can be close to those of right libertarianism. He is particularly positioned against the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
, which he argues is understanding with terrorists in Spain and abroad, on the one side and Catalan
Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism or Catalanism , is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or full independence of Catalonia....
and Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
(and what he sees as their alleged historical revisionism
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
) on the other side.
His views are unusual within Spanish journalism, as he supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and believes Global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
is not caused by human activity. He has been highly critical of Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
, arguing that he should have opposed the PSOE government over its policies in the Basque country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
and Catalonia and should resign.
Kidnap episode
In 1981 he was abducted by the now-defunct Catalan independentistCatalan independentism
Catalan independentism is a political movement, derived from Catalan nationalism, which supports the independence of Catalonia or the so-called Catalan countries from Spain and France...
terrorist organization Terra Lliure
Terra Lliure
Terra Lliure , sometimes referred to as TLL, was an armed Catalan nationalist and left-wing separatist organisation. Formed in 1978, with the goal of establishing an independent Marxist state in the so-called Catalan Countries, the group carried out dozens of attacks that left many people injured...
, then released after having been shot in the leg. This was in reprisal for having signed a manifesto demanding an end to the Catalan regional government
Generalitat de Catalunya
The Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
's then new language policies
Language policy
Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...
which implemented the preponderance of the use of Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
over Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. The aforementioned policies were initially meant for official governmental usage and intended to reverse the Language politics in Spain under Franco
Language politics in Spain under Franco
Language politics in Francoist Spain centered on attempts in Spain under Franco to increase the dominance of the Spanish language over the other languages of Spain.The regime of Francisco Franco had Spanish nationalism as one of its bases....
. They were implemented following the correspondent law as approved by the Catalan Parliament.
Rise to prominence
Following the attack, he moved to Madrid, where he was hired as Op-Ed Editor of Diario 16Diario 16
Diario 16 was one of the most widely-circulated newspapers in Spain. According to the 1981 General Media Study , it had about 100 thousand readers. It often criticized President George W...
. He has since worked in Antena 3 Radio and afterwards in the Spanish radio network COPE. After a year living in Miami, he returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and took charge of La Linterna, a night program in Spanish radio. In 2003 he became director of La Mañana, and started becoming increasingly popular in the morning radio. With La Mañana he became one of the most listened-to radio talk show hosts in Spain until he parted ways in July 2009.
He is founder and editor of the Spanish and self-styled liberal on-line newspaper Libertad Digital
Libertad Digital
Libertad Digital is an advocacy journalism online newspaper edited in Madrid, Spain.Its claims to be classic liberal, with several contributors often tilting to libertarian conservative.- Origins :...
. He is also is a regular columnist for El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
and has written several books, mostly on political topics, but, lately, he also debuted in poetry with a book of haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
s. In 2005 he founded The Spain Herald, an English-language digest of articles from Libertad Digital. The Spain Herald has been off-line since June 2006.
He has been successfully prosecuted on a number of occasions for defamatory pronouncements, including being legally prompted, along with his employers COPE, to pay compensation of 60,000 euros to the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France and Spain in the territories known among Catalan nationalists as Països Catalans...
political party, which was donated to non-profit organisations.