Catalonia’s public media corporation, 3Cat, has issued an apology after a social media post partially written in Spanish sparked an immediate online backlash, reigniting debate over language policy at the publicly funded broadcaster.
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The incident occurred on Friday evening during the broadcast of the popular music talent show Eufòria on TV3, the primary television channel of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA). The official X account for 3Cat published a post that included Spanish text, a departure from its strict Catalan-only policy. Viewers and commentators were quick to point out the error, with many expressing frustration that the institution tasked with promoting the Catalan language would communicate in Spanish.
The tweet was swiftly deleted, but not before screenshots had circulated widely. One user, journalist Pilar Carracelas, posted a screenshot questioning the use of Spanish on the public channel, a sentiment echoed by many others.
An Apology and an Explanation
In response to the growing controversy, 3Cat posted a formal apology on its X account. The broadcaster attributed the mistake to a technical glitch, not a change in policy.
“During the broadcast of Eufòria, we mistakenly published a tweet partially in Spanish,” the statement read. “All our tweets are always in Catalan and follow a linguistic correction process. In this case, an automatic translation mechanism was activated by mistake.”
The corporation added that it would “review the publication circuit to prevent a similar situation from happening again.” The CCMA’s official mission includes the promotion and dissemination of Catalan language and culture, making any deviation a sensitive issue. This is not the first time the broadcaster has faced scrutiny over language choices; recently, the CCMA defended its decision to air an AI-generated Gaudí speaking Spanish in a documentary, arguing it reflected the historical reality of the architect’s life.
A Pattern of Social Media Mishaps
This latest error follows another recent social media incident that drew accusations of censorship. As reported by VilaWeb, on 19 January, the 3Cat account posted a clip from the programme Col·lapse featuring economist Xavier Sala-i-Martín discussing Catalonia’s financial contributions to Spain. The clip was subsequently deleted without explanation, sparking criticism.
At the time, sources from 3Cat and the show’s producer, Manchester, told VilaWeb the deletion was the producer’s error. The production company, which handles the show’s social media content, claimed an “overly opinionated emoji” had been included by mistake. However, critics questioned why the tweet was not simply re-uploaded without the emoji, fuelling speculation about other motives.
According to VilaWeb, these incidents may be linked to a recent strategic shift in how 3Cat manages its social media. Previously, individual programmes managed their own dedicated accounts. Now, with a new strategy to centralise content under the main 3Cat brand, external production companies have been given access to post directly to the corporation’s official accounts. This change appears to have introduced new risks, leading to what the source described as “these kinds of inconveniences.”
The use of Catalan in public life remains a politically charged topic, with recent debates over everything from the language on highway signs to the slogan on the Barcelona Marathon T-shirt, underscoring the deep-seated importance of linguistic identity in the region.
