Facts that unite in the face of an 'overexcited' society

Discovering, bringing people together and celebrating. These were some of the main goals of the 3rd edition of the conference "Juntos Construimos Comillas", organised around the topic of communication. The day began with speeches by José María Ortiz, Vice-Rector for Organisation and Digital Transformation; Federico de Montalvo, Vice-Rector for Institutional Relations and Secretary General, and Lucía Tornero, Director of the Communication and Institutional Relations Service, who highlighted the value of communication, both internal and external, and offered those present some examples of the practices carried out at the University, such as the Comillas Cast project.

Afterwards, Miguel Ángel Oliver, journalist, ex-Secretary of State for Communication and recently appointed President of the Agencia EFE, spoke with Juan Manuel Daganzo, media officer of the University's Communication and Institutional Relations Service, about his career and other issues, such as the role of journalists both in the media and in organisations.

During his speech, the journalist said that we live in an "overexcited" society and that this is the reason why agencies are so important. "Agencies do not mix freedom of expression with information. Without them we run the risk of entering an era of disinformation," he warned.

On his appointment as president of EFE, Oliver acknowledged that it is "a dream come true". "I love the journalism of facts and I don't like the journalism of declarations in which we are immersed. In this sense, the agencies are a great driving force and a guarantee of plurality, neutrality and internationalisation".

Among the major challenges facing the profession, Olvier highlighted, above all, the emergence of AI. "The incorporation of artificial intelligence will make it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not. However, he was optimistic and affirmed that "we will always need to communicate with human naturalness and intelligence".

Finally, he recalled that universities are one of the most reliable sources of knowledge, "they are temples of reason and verification, and they have to use the media to share their knowledge with society".

After the interview, the members of the PAS and the PDI took part in a team building activity which consisted of deactivating an Escape Box by teams, with questions about the history of Comillas, which has just celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its arrival in Madrid, and which sought to encourage teamwork, companionship and a sense of belonging.