Basque television rectifies and considers the expression 'murdered' to be "totally inappropriate" when referring to bullfighting.

The Ombudsman for Television, Radio, and Internet Users of EITB (the Basque Country's public broadcasting service) recognizes that the expression "murdered" to refer to the death of bulls during bullfighting in the bullring is "totally inappropriate."

The channel admitted this in a letter sent to the National Association of Bullfighting Organizers (ANOET) in response to the protest it received on the 7th regarding the content of a news piece broadcast on the news program Teleberri the previous evening . Featuring images of bulls from the Cádiz-based Fuente Ymbro ranch, resting in the Corrales del Gas in Pamplona, a voiceover commented on the start of the San Fermín festival and concluded as follows: "These bulls are the first bulls to compete in this year's running of the bulls, a 848-meter course; in the afternoon, in the bullring, they will be fought and killed."

Anoet then issued a statement expressing its "strongest condemnation of what it considers to be sectarian reporting by the EITB" and demanding "an immediate rectification from this media outlet so that bullfighting receives the dignified and respectful treatment it deserves as Spanish Cultural Heritage, as provided for in Law 18/2013 of November 12."

This protest has prompted the intervention of the Basque channel's Ombudsman, who adds in his response that he has already contacted the journalist who prepared this report "with the aim of avoiding possible future situations of this type." "EITB cannot, and should not, accept any bias in its reporting, thus allowing the personal opinions and positions of its professionals," concludes the letter sent by the Ombudsman to the bullfighting association, as made public by Anoet itself.

In its protest note, the bullfighting association stated that "a public television station, and therefore funded by the taxes of all Basques, must respect all cultural expressions and the diversity of its audience, and not position itself as anti-bullfighting, as is clearly evident from the content of this news report."

Now, the bullfighting association expresses its gratitude for "EITB's prompt response and the measures it has taken to ensure that these sectarian stances are not repeated in its news services."