Invisibilization of Animal Journalism: Ideological Gatekeeping, Soft Censorship, and Marginalization of Antispeciesist Journalists in Spanish Written Media

This article examines the dual marginalization present in the Spanish media landscape: the invisibility of nonhuman animals as agents and the systemic obstacles faced by journalists attempting to represent their interests. Through in-depth, dialogic interviews with Spanish journalists engaged in antispeciesist reporting, this study investigates the persistent marginalization of antispeciesist journalism, as well as the challenges of advocating for nonhuman animal rights within written media newsrooms. The findings reveal how journalistic conventions, ideological biases and structural constraints contribute to the continued framing of nonhuman animals as passive commodities or spectacles, while their agency, rights and individuality are overlooked. Simultaneously, journalists covering animal rights issues encounter editorial resistance, with their work frequently dismissed as trivial or frivolous. These barriers manifest through ideological gatekeeping, soft censorship and the demand for “balance” that privileges speciesist perspectives. By analyzing this dual invisibility, both of the nonhumans and of the journalists advocating for them, this article studies the power dynamics shaping media agendas and the structural undervaluation of antispeciesist reporting. Situated within the framework of critical animal media studies and drawing on gatekeeping theory, it contextualizes the marginalization of antispeciesist perspectives within broader patterns of media exclusion. The findings highlight the tensions between journalistic integrity and the constraints of human-centric media priorities, underscoring the need for structural changes to ensure that nonhuman animal rights receive serious and sustained attention in the Spanish press.