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The first reported case of transmission of the Ebola virus in Europe occurred in Spain. The subsequent management of communication surrounding the 'outbreak' brought about a crisis with implications for both health authorities and the media. This paper explores the management of institutional communication by the Ministry of Health, within the first forty-eight hours leading up to the diagnosis, as well as the Spanish press' coverage of the "crisis of Ebola". Focus will be placed on the analysis of the front pages of 6 Spanish newspapers (with the largest national circulation) as well as 17 regional newspapers, and their possible sensationalist impact within those first forty-eight hours (October 7th and 8th, 2014). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media criticism is an essential activity for any democracy. Named as the fourth power, media generally are against criticisms made to their practices and products and almost never make any self-criticisms. Facing this fact the present paper arguments in favour of media criticism in order to improve their practice, and thus the reason why the manuscript ends showing a Brazilian experience on media observatories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]