The death of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction became one of the main focuses of the housing debate in recent weeks, has provoked numerous reactions in the world of television and journalism. Among them, that of Xabier Fortes, who took advantage of his intervention on 'La noche en 24 horas' this Wednesday to question the treatment some media had given to the case. His words have subsequently been shared by José Pablo López, president of RTVE.
Fortes focused on what happened in recent days and lamented the harshness of some comments made on television about Maricarmen. "There has been an inhumanity in some talk shows, in some TV programs...", the journalist began by saying, before directly referring to the accusations that had been launched against her.
Esto de Xabier Fortes en @Lanoche_24h sobre la cobertura del caso de Mari Carmen en algunos medios 👇
— José Pablo López (@Josepablo_ls) October 7, 2026
"Ha habido una inhumanidad en algunas tertulias, en algunos programas de TV... Ayer mismo, a esta mujer que hoy ha fallecido, le han dicho que era una cuentista, una actriz, que… pic.twitter.com/UzTidUT9Ml
"Just yesterday, this woman who died today was told that she was a storyteller, an actress, that she had been caught in a casting to favor the Government in an electoral campaign," Fortes said. And he added a reflection on the moment in which these attacks occurred: "Well, a few hours later this woman died."
The presenter's words come after, a day before her death, Maricarmen's case was the subject of new accusations on television. Specifically, on Horizonte, contributor Chapu Apaolaza suggested without providing evidence that the eviction could be part of a political operation and even linked the woman to a supposed 'casting' organized to favor the Government.
Fortes did not expressly mention Horizonte or its负责人 in his intervention, but his references to the supposed casting pointed directly to those statements. The journalist wanted to place the debate in the realm of media responsibility when reporting on a woman who was hospitalized and who died a few hours later.
Now, the words of Xabier Fortes and the public support of José Pablo López once again put the focus on another issue: how far televised confrontation can go when the protagonist of the news is a vulnerable person and what responsibility the media have when it comes to verifying certain accusations before making them part of the public debate.