Fernández de Kirchner accused of limiting press freedom in Argentina

Posted by Jennifer Lush on October 30, 2009 at 12:50 PM

A law passed in Argentina earlier this month placing limits on media ownership, has raised eyebrows over the motivations of the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, with many arguing she is attempting to restrict press freedom.

The legislation, which at its core prevents ownership of more than 35 per cent of cable and broadcast operations in a single market and requires the renewal of a license every two years, was declared a victory by Fernández for the 'democratization' of media. She said the measure would free up the airwaves and offer a platform for non- profit groups, universities and the government to express themselves.

Supporters argued that it replaces an outdated media system that can be tracked back to 1980, when military dictatorship ruled the country, but many others remain skeptical.

One of the key opponents of the bill, Senator Luis Petcoff Naidenoff of the Radical Civic Union party, argued the aim of the bill was nothing more than to "silence voices" of dissent after Fernández and her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, began accusing Clarín of bias in covering their policies.

Petcoff Naidenoff's views are supported by the fact that it is indeed Grupo Clarín that will suffer the brunt of the new legislation, now forced to break up its media empire which constitutes of 73 per cent of Argentina's radio, television and cable licences.

Conflict between the Kirchners and Grupo Clarín erupted after a taxation scheme that Fernández introduced in March 2008, which raised taxes for farmers, ignited violent confrontations between pro-Kirchner factions and those opposed. Clarín was amongst the latter. The situation worsed throughout 2009 amidst accusations of President Fernández being her husband's puppet.

In an editorial shortly before the law was passed, the company's newspaper wrote : "Clarín is being stigmatized for political purposes." It continued on to say that: "In none of its businesses is Clarín a monopoly. In any other country, a company like Clarín would be an example of private enterprise, a source of national pride."

The affect of the news on the group was immediate with Clarín shares on the Buenos Aires stock exchange plumetted 22 per cent in the week following Fernández's announcement of the bill. The stock fell to 5.90 pesos a share on Sept. 4, though recovered slightly to 7.60 pesos a share by Oct. 9 amidst growing speculation that the bill wouldn't take form.

In an interview with Bloomberg.com, Senator Petcoff Naidenoff said: "This bill hides the real goal of concentrating state- controlled media and providing just one point of view."

"It violates freedom of speech."

The implementation of the legislation has provoked outrage amongst free press advocates, with the Argentine Association of Journalistic Entities (ADEPA) declaring the law a serious hindrance to the free press: "Journalism is seen by part of the government as an enemy to be defeated, so it therefore it buys the media through flacks," read a statement by ADEPA. "With faltering daily newspapers, the freedom of the press is made enfeebled. But, with media made rich by government favoritism, the freedom of the press actually disappears."

Fernández's bill has been compared by some to the efforts of President Hugo Chávez to restrict the media in Venezuela and comes amidst more global concerns over freedom of speech, with a recent Reporters Without Borders report revealing that press freedom in several European countries, particularly Italy, has suffered dramatically in the past year.

Silvio Berlusconi has generated attention on the issue in suing Italian newspaper La Repubblica for defamation after it repeatedly publishing 10 questions asking the Prime Minister to explain his extra-marital relationships and behaviour, the subjects of widely reported public scandals this year.

But Italy is not alone, with France also slipping in the rankings to 43rd position after "judicial investigations and arrests of journalists and raids on news media, and also because of meddling in the media by politicians, including President Nicolas Sarkozy," the report said.

Source : Energy Publisher, Bloomberg, Clarín