La Recerca en periodística contra la desmemòria històrica: quatre memòries joves estroncades

Abstract

Journalism is one of the professions that is most affected by freedom and its absence, such as that experienced during post-war Spain, a period which commenced in 1939. Since the profession occupies an important social niche, it is therefore more intensely affected by lack of freedom than other professions. The repercussions of this initial effect are proportionately played out in journalism research. For many years a most profound silence settled over the rich Catalan journalistic tradition owing to the Spanish Civil War, and research in journalism was nonexistent. However, now that appropriate methodologies for research in this area of public communication have been established, studies are needed to heal the weak collective historical memory regarding young journalists who were victims of the extreme violence that broke out in July 1936 with the military insurrection and anarchist revolution. Some of these promising young journalists died in exile: Irene Polo, for example; others were killed: Josep Maria Planes, among others; and some died or were counted missing on the Ebro front: such as Jordi Folch i Camarasa and Ramon Esquerra, respectively. Research in journalism, then, can contribute to combating historical amnesia, especially when the victims of oblivion are young unassuming journalists regardless of their professional talent, ability, or cultural education.