Repression in the Conservative Málaga Press at the Beginning of the Civil War: The Decline of "La Unión Mercantil"

Abstract

The media landscape in Spain underwent a major transformation after the coup d’état of 18th July 1936, with the subsequent eradication of newspapers and radio stations, at the same time as the emergence of new media in support of one or other side. Managers, journalists, photographers and other workers involved in the newspaper business were those most affected by the new situation. This article focuses on repression in the newspaper sector in Málaga, with the aim of reconstructing the events that took place between summer 1936 and the entry of Franco’s troops on 8th February 1937. The work focuses on the first wave of repression that affected the conservative press in Málaga, in particular the case of the newspaper La Unión Mercantil and the figure of its former Director, Manuel García Santos. The working methodology is based on qualitative analysis of legal documentation repositories, newspapers and personal sources of family members of those researched. The results are intended to help alleviate the shortage of research in this field, especially in Andalusia. Thanks to the different sources consulted, this work offers a snapshot of events, rescuing from oblivion many Málaga journalists who, having exercised their profession freely, suffered censorship, persecution, prison, exile and death during the war and immediate post-war periods.