Press freedom advocates have warned of hostile rhetoric and increasingly restrictive policies toward journalists under Miley.
Argentina’s Javier Meili administration has restricted access to the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada, in an escalating dispute with the country’s journalists.
Accredited journalists reportedly arrived at the Casa Rosada on Thursday and attempted to enter the building through fingerprint scanning, as they usually do.
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But he could not pass the scan. As confusion arose among the news corps, the head of Argentina’s Secretariat of Communications and Press issued a clarification that his press accreditation had not been revoked.
Secretary Javier Lanari said, “The decision to remove the fingerprints of accredited journalists from the Casa Rosada was taken as a preventive measure in response to a complaint filed by a military family regarding illegal spying.” wrote On social media.
“The sole purpose is to guarantee national security.”
Lanari’s post cited an incident in which two journalists from Argentina’s channel TN were accused of secretly filming inside a government palace.
After their report was broadcast, the Miley administration accused the journalists of endangering government security by showing parts of the Casa Rosada that were allegedly off limits.
On Wednesday, Miley herself called reporters “disgusting trash” on social media. He then challenged other members of the news media to justify their actions.
“I would love to see that dirty scum – 95% of those who hold press credentials – come out and defend what these two criminals did,” Miley wrote On X.
Since then, the President has repeatedly reposted messages criticizing the news media, often accompanied by the acronym “NOLSALP” or “NOL$ALP”. It means: “We don’t hate journalists enough.”
“Someday, that dirty journalist scum (95%) will have to understand that they are not above the law. They abused legal precedent. This does not come without a price,” Miley couple In a post on Thursday, he continued to criticize the news media.
This week’s actions are the latest in a series of policy changes designed to tighten restrictions on journalists under Miley.
For example, last year his government restricted access to some rooms of the Casa Rosada and made other areas off limits.
Critics say these policies are part of a broader approach against journalism in Argentina. Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that, since Miley took office in 2023, the country has seen a “precipitous decline in press freedom”.
And the writers’ organization PEN International last year warned of a “serious decline” in free-speech rights.
It points to a law that restricts which government documents can be made public and Miley’s efforts to eliminate public media, as well as the installation of a “mute” button to silence reporters during news conferences.
Already, the decision to bar journalists from entering the Casa Rosada has faced opposition, including from Argentina’s lawmakers.
Marcela Pagano, a former journalist turned deputy in Argentina’s legislature, announced Thursday that she has filed a criminal complaint against Miley.
“The Casa Rosada is not private property,” Pagano wrote in an article. statement.
“The head of a state – or his henchmen officials – has still less authority to decide whether the press can access a building.”
He described Thursday’s incident as unprecedented since Argentina’s return to democracy in 1983.
He said, “Preventing journalists from exercising their freedom of expression is the first step towards silencing any dissenting voice – a situation we have experienced in Argentina during our country’s darkest moments.” “They will not silence us.”
