THE POLITICAL ROLE OF THE PRESS IN SPANISH TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY, 1975-1978

This article analyses the behaviour and attitudes of the Spanish press at the beginning of the transition towards democracy (November 1975 - December 1978), during the most significant political and institutional change. The role of the main newspapers is assessed from different perspectives, together with the reasons for the newspapers' consensus on the basic issues that were in the public eye. Through examples from several papers, taken one by one and as a whole, the article explains the exceptional characteristics of the relationship between politics and journalism, as well as some exceptions such as the ultra-right-wing press and the Basque nationalist sector.