Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils

The Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils (GPRB) is a non-profit association of journalists active across the Catalan Countries (Països Catalans). It was founded in July 2001, shortly after the death of the journalist Ramon Barnils, whose name it adopted as a reference for professional self-demand and ideological coherence. The driving group of about thirty people had already been meeting regularly with Barnils in the years before his death. The association's first president was the journalist Rita Marzoa, who presented the group together with member Judith Casaprima at the closing of the Universitat Catalana d'Estiu in August 2001. Its first public event in Barcelona was a tribute to Ramon Barnils on the first anniversary of his death, held at the Blanquerna Communication Faculty with Rita Marzoa, Carles Serrat and the writer Quim Monzó. The group's stated objectives are to achieve a rigorous, equitable and high-quality communication model within the Catalan Countries, to defend documented and verified information that promotes reflection and analysis, and to combat the directionalism, censorship and self-censorship practiced by most media. It has around 180 active members according to its website, and about 130 members as of 2014 according to Wikipedia. Membership dues are 30 euros per quarter. The group is headquartered in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, sharing premises with the newspaper L'Independent de Gràcia. Among its main activities, the GPRB created Mèdia.cat in 2009, a critical observatory of Catalan media that succeeded the website Contrastant.net. Since 2010 Mèdia.cat has published the annual Anuari Mèdia.cat, a compilation of the year's most silenced reports, which won the Josep M. Planes Prize for investigative journalism in 2011. The group also organizes public events, publishes books through a collection with Edicions Saldonar, and issues public statements on media freedom and censorship. It has been led by a series of presidents: Rita Marzoa (2001–2003), Oriol Cortacans (2003–2009), Joan Vila (2009–2011), David Bassa (2011–2016), Ferran Casas i Manresa (2016–2021), Enric Borràs i Abelló (2021–2026) and Arnau Lleonart (from February 2026).

The Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils was born in July 2001, shortly after the death of the journalist Ramon Barnils, whom its members consider a reference of professional self-demand and ideological coherence. The driving group, about thirty people, had already been meeting regularly with Barnils in the years before his death. The first president was the journalist Rita Marzoa. She and fellow member Judith Casaprima presented the group at the closing of the Universitat Catalana d'Estiu in August 2001. The first public event of the GPRB in Barcelona was a tribute to Ramon Barnils on the first anniversary of his death, at the Blanquerna Communication Faculty, with Rita Marzoa, Carles Serrat (journalist and author of a book collecting Barnils's articles published by La Magrana) and the writer Quim Monzó. In March 2003, Oriol Cortacans replaced Rita Marzoa as president, a position he held until June 2009, with successive renewals (annually until 2005, and after a change to the statutes, every two years). The group grew rapidly to about sixty members in 2007; this figure remained stable for some years and then, from 2010, grew again to surpass one hundred associates in 2012. During its early years, the GPRB had a collaboration agreement with the Associació Catalana de Professionals (ACP), sharing premises (an office in the CIEMEN building in Barcelona) and administrative infrastructure. This agreement was modified in 2011, so that the possibility of being a member of both entities simultaneously was maintained for those who wished, but shared services ended. The group currently has its headquarters in Gràcia, which it shares with the newspaper L'Independent de Gràcia. The group's main objectives are to achieve a rigorous, equitable and high-quality communication model within the Catalan Countries, to defend documented and verified information that promotes reflection and analysis, and to combat the directionalism, censorship and self-censorship with which most media operate. During its first years, the GPRB organized various public events on current affairs in the world of communication, such as an event denouncing the closure of the Basque newspaper Egunkaria (March 2003) and another on the privatization of Canal 9 (December 2003). These critical positions have formed part of the group's later trajectory: a public statement denouncing the awarding of the Medal of Merit at Work to journalist Carlos Sentís (2009), a public statement criticizing the simulated police charge in which some journalists participated a day earlier at the Catalan Police School (2010), and a statement condemning the shutdown of TV3 transmitters in the Valencian Country (2011). In 2005 and 2006, the group participated in the alternative candidacy to the official one in the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, led by Pilar Antillach. In autumn 2006, an exhibition promoted by the group 'Ramon Barnils, periodista de referència' opened at the Octubre Centre de Cultura in Valencia during the week of the Premis Octubre. Until 2008, the exhibition traveled throughout the Catalan Countries (Barcelona, Valls, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Palma, Girona) and at the end of that year the catalogue with the same title was published, along with a short audiovisual and a website. In 2008, the group collaborated with the Sant Cugat City Council in organizing the II Jornades de Comunicació Ramon Barnils. Taking over from the website Contrastant.net, which stopped publishing in 2007, in 2009 the Grup Barnils created Mèdia.cat, the critical observatory of the media. The portal began with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Fundació Escacc until 2012. From then on, the Fundació Catalunya collaborated to make Mèdia.cat possible through a joint agreement. Currently, the portal accumulates 20,000 unique monthly visits. Since 2010, Mèdia.cat has published annually the Anuari Mèdia.cat 'Els silencis mediàtics de l'any', a compilation of the reports considered most silenced by the major Catalan media. The 2011 Anuari received the Josep M. Planes Prize for investigative journalism. The Anuari project has the support of the Fundació Catalunya, the Col·legi de Periodistes, Pol·len Edicions and some of the main journalism faculties in the country. 80% of its funding comes from crowdfunding. In 2012, the group signed an agreement with Edicions Saldonar to promote the 'Periodistes' collection, from which books are published on topics that have not found their space in conventional media. In April 2013, the first book of the collection appeared: 'Et presento el jutge Garzón', written by journalist Sònia Bagudanch. The second title is by Jordi Marsal, published in March 2013, titled 'Castor: la bombolla sísmica'. Journalist Gemma García Fàbrega is the author of the third volume, 'Els senyors del boom', published in October 2014. In 2013, together with Edicions DAU, they paid tribute to Ramon Barnils with a book by Laia Altarriba featuring 20 conversations with people who knew the journalist. That same year, a biographical documentary by Laia Soldevila and Albert Lloreta about his figure was presented. The group has been led by a series of presidents: Rita Marzoa (2001–2003), Oriol Cortacans (2003–2009), Joan Vila (2009–2011), David Bassa (2011–2016), Ferran Casas i Manresa (14 May 2016 – 18 June 2021), Enric Borràs i Abelló (18 June 2021 – 5 February 2026) and Arnau Lleonart (from 5 February 2026).

• Founded in July 2001, shortly after the death of Ramon Barnils.

• Presented at the closing of the Universitat Catalana d'Estiu by Rita Marzoa and Judith Casaprima.

• First public event in Barcelona: tribute to Ramon Barnils on the first anniversary of his death at the Blanquerna Communication Faculty.

• Oriol Cortacans replaces Rita Marzoa as president; public event denouncing the closure of the Basque newspaper Egunkaria.

• Public event on the privatization of Canal 9.

• Participates in the alternative candidacy to the official one in the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, led by Pilar Antillach.

• Exhibition 'Ramon Barnils, periodista de referència' opens at the Octubre Centre de Cultura in Valencia.

• Membership reaches about sixty; website Contrastant.net stops publishing.

• Exhibition travels through the Catalan Countries; catalogue published; collaborates with Sant Cugat City Council on the II Jornades de Comunicació Ramon Barnils.

• Mèdia.cat, the critical observatory of the media, is created; Oriol Cortacans's presidency ends; Joan Vila becomes president.

• Public statement denouncing the awarding of the Medal of Merit at Work to journalist Carlos Sentís.

• Mèdia.cat begins publishing the annual Anuari Mèdia.cat; public statement criticizing the simulated police charge at the Catalan Police School.

• The 2011 Anuari Mèdia.cat receives the Josep M. Planes Prize for investigative journalism; statement condemning the shutdown of TV3 transmitters in the Valencian Country; David Bassa becomes president.

• Membership surpasses one hundred; agreement signed with Edicions Saldonar to promote the 'Periodistes' collection.

• First book of the 'Periodistes' collection published: 'Et presento el jutge Garzón' by Sònia Bagudanch.

• Tribute to Ramon Barnils with a book by Laia Altarriba and a biographical documentary by Laia Soldevila and Albert Lloreta.

• Third volume of the 'Periodistes' collection published: 'Els senyors del boom' by Gemma García Fàbrega.

• Ferran Casas i Manresa becomes president.

• Enric Borràs i Abelló becomes president.

• Arnau Lleonart becomes president.

A non-profit, activist journalists' collective defending rigorous, independent, Catalan-language journalism and critical media observation.

• Mèdia.cat

  Critical observatory of Catalan media, created in 2009, succeeding Contrastant.net.

• Anuari Mèdia.cat

  Annual publication compiling the year's most silenced reports, published since 2010; the 2011 edition won the Josep M. Planes Prize.

• Col·lecció 'Periodistes'

  Book collection with Edicions Saldonar, launched in 2012, publishing on topics not covered by conventional media.

• Defensem el periodisme per a defensar la democràcia
• Fes-te'n soci

1. 1Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils official websitegrupbarnils.cat
2. 2Contra la censura de l’AEPD, que s’estén a VilaWeb per haver informat sobre policies infiltratsgrupbarnils.cat
3. 3Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils – Viquipèdiaca.wikipedia.org