Fibertel protest demonstration

[SaraSara]

You are famous up to Mexico ! Don't blush

Good point. I feel honored to appear in a Mexican cartoon/whatever.

 

[SaraSara]

Coincidentally, last week Secretary Moyano and a group of his thugs invaded Papel Prensa's offices despite a standing court order forbidding them access.

Moyano carried a pair of boxing gloves and threatened the manager.

I guess that the "Innocents Abroad" of the forum will view this as another instance of democracy at work.

 

[SaraSara]

Argentine government clamps down on country's largest media organisation

TOM HENNIGAN in São Paulo
Sat, Aug 21, 2010

ARGENTINA’S GOVERNMENT ordered the country’s largest media organisation and a leading critic of its policies to shut down its internet service provider on Thursday. The move is the latest confrontation in a long-running battle between the two sides and one of a series of moves by populist governments against media organisation in the region.

The government in Buenos Aires claimed that the Clarín media group’s announcement of a merger between its internet service provider Fibertel and cable television arm Cablevisión “usurped” the terms of its contract and that it was operating illegally.

“Fibertel no longer exists because of its own decisions,” said planning minister Julio de Vido when announcing the government’s decision to shut down the provider and giving customers 90 days to find another service.
In a statement published in several newspapers yesterday, Clarín denounced the move as “illegal and arbitrary” and part of an “ever more totalitarian escalation” of actions by the government.

The Clarín group’s confrontation with the government of President Cristina Kirchner dates back to 2008 when it supported protests by farmers against a government plan to raise tariffs on grain exports, which was eventually defeated in the senate.

Since then, Mrs Kirchner and her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner, have fought a relentless campaign against Clarín, which the group says amounts to an attack on freedom of expression.

Opposition politicians denounced Thursday’s move. Opposition leader Elisa Carrió said Mr Kirchner wanted “to silence critical media” with the intention of “domesticating society so it will vote for him next year”. Argentina will elect a new president in October of next year with Mr Kirchner expected to try and replace his wife, just as she replaced him in 2007.

But back in May, Mr Kirchner said the real threat came from the concentration of media power. “When we speak of freedom of the press in Argentina, everyone knows the lack of freedom of expression is because there is a monopolistic corporation . . . called Clarín,” he told supporters.

The group’s dominance of television, radio and print media has long raised concerns about excessive concentration of influence. But the Kirchners only started to move against it after it switched from broadly supporting their administrations to becoming their most caustic critic.

The latest row between the government and media in Argentina follows a court ruling earlier this week in Venezuela prohibiting newspapers from publishing graphic pictures of victims of the country’s spiraling violent crime crisis for the next 30 days.

Newspapers said the government of president Hugo Chávez was behind the move, which they denounced as censorship. The annual number of homicide victims in the country has jumped from just over 4,000 when Mr Chávez came to power in 1999 to more than 16,000 last year.

Last month in Bolivia several media associations said a new electoral law proposed by the government of Evo Morales would limit freedom of expression and amount to censorship as it sought to prevent media outlets from criticising candidates or their proposals during election campaigns, limiting them to carrying out electoral broadcasts and printing official campaign material.
© 2010 The Irish Times

 

[gouchobob]

Coincidentally, last week Secretary Moyano and a group of his thugs invaded Papel Prensa's offices despite a standing court order forbidding them access.

Moyano carried a pair of boxing gloves and threatened the manager.

I guess that the "Innocents Abroad" of the forum will view this as another instance of democracy at work.

I think they might realize there is a problem the day they wake up fire up their computers and get nothing but a blank screen. They will go out to by a paper and discover none are available due to a newsprint shortage except one or two pro-government rags. On the TV only pro-government stations reporting only positively about the government will be on the air, the other stations will be off the air due to power outages in their area.

 

[Moxon]

The government wants to muzzle the media - what's left of it

Utterly delusional.

Yeah, sure....! Tell that to Nelson Castro, who had his enormously popular talk show canceled for being critical of the government, or to the other independent commentators now broadcasting from radio Colonia in Uruguay.

Again, the same adjective could be applied to Nelson, I'm fairly sure he would qualify under the DSM-IV definition.

Really, that old chestnut? I remember that coming up here several times before, that was you also wasn't it Sarah dear? Nelson Castro's contract wasn't renewed at Radio del Plata because he asked for more money than they were prepared to give him (a 100% increase as far as I recall). The remainder of his contract was paid out and he is now broadcasting in the prime morning slot (6am - 8:30am Mon-Fri) on the second most popular radio station in the country, Radio Mitre where he enjoys a greater audience than he had previously (oh, and still has his show El Juego Limpio on TN). Some muzzle.

I'm not sure what you're talking about with regards to Colonia but if you have more details I'd be interested.

Sarah if you have access to information or intuition beyond the powers of us mere mortals that shows the charges of operating illegally are trumped up please provide - perhaps it is true, I don't know at this stage but if you don't know either I'm not sure why you are arguing with such certainty. I still think even if this is all legit that the time period given is woefully short but at this early stage I think we can only wait for more details to emerge before making our minds up about everything.

Oh, I forgot, Nelson Castro is also a columnist for La Nación & Perfil and since leaving Radio del Plata he has released a new best selling book and a second edition of another bestseller which has an expanded section about the Kirchners in it, he is also frequently interviewed on other shows and channels (I saw his head twice last night zapping). Some lesser media commentators would be queuing up for this kind of muzzling.

But anyway back to the questions, could you please share that information that shows the charges of operating illegally are trumped up?

But more importantly, could you tell me more about the journalists forced to broadcast in exile on Radio Colonia in Uruguay? This intelligence is what gave me a restless night last night as it recalls the previous time this happened, when Argentina was under a murderous dictatorship and journalists had to submit to the junta's line or risk their lives. Apart from the Buenos Aires Herald, Radio Colonia in Uruguay was basically the only other source of independent comment for Argentines. For this to occur again, it is truly a dark time in the history of Argentina, I'm in contact with journalists from the main papers almost every day and know nothing about this, but as you have said:

TV stations are under government control.

...and, I assume the remainder of (as you say) 'what's left' of the media.

That something like this could happen and escape our attention like this is chilling, are any other expats reconsidering their future in Argentina?

 

[AlexfromLA]

Dude, she has no information or data for you. All her facts are " wisdom " based aka, they come out of her ass or the daily clarin.

 

[Lucas]

Oh, I forgot, Nelson Castro is also a columnist for La Nación & Perfil and since leaving Radio del Plata he has released a new best selling book and a second edition of another bestseller which has an expanded section about the Kirchners in it, he is also frequently interviewed on other shows and channels (I saw his head twice last night zapping). Some lesser media commentators would be queuing up for this kind of muzzling.

But anyway back to the questions, could you please share that information that shows the charges of operating illegally are trumped up?

But more importantly, could you tell me more about the journalists forced to broadcast in exile on Radio Colonia in Uruguay? This intelligence is what gave me a restless night last night as it recalls the previous time this happened, when Argentina was under a murderous dictatorship and journalists had to submit to the junta's line or risk their lives. Apart from the Buenos Aires Herald, Radio Colonia in Uruguay was basically the only other source of independent comment for Argentines. For this to occur again, it is truly a dark time in the history of Argentina, I'm in contact with journalists from the main papers almost every day and know nothing about this, but as you have said:


...and, I assume the remainder of (as you say) 'what's left' of the media.

That something like this could happen and escape our attention like this is chilling, are any other expats reconsidering their future in Argentina?

Moxon and particularly Sara and anyone else interested in the background of the Audiovisual Media Law (Ley de Medios Audovisuales) before the law become a reality.

The speaker on this video is Victor Hugo Morales a very well known veteran of the radio and television, sports commentator and renowned journalist, well known because of his unfavorables views and comments against the present and recent past governments.

The video is spoken in spanish without english subtitles (sorry), but any who understand some spanish I'll recommended you to try to hear what he has to say about the monopolistic system established between the military junta and the oligarchy of this country to keep the media informing only what the masses need to know and nothing else and why he is defending the creation of this law to cement a truly and free journalistic press.

Link: Victor Hugo Morales - Ley de Comunicacion Audiovisual

His speech includes comments on the formation of the conglomerate Grupo Clarin and Cablevision and of course Fibertel.

Enjoy and understand the background of all this.

 

[SaraSara]

I know and used to respect Victor Hugo Morales, but early this year he did a political somersault and sold out to the government. A pity, as he's a very smart commentator.

There were many pieces in the papers about that both here and in Uruguay, where he's from. He lost a lot of respect, and much of his audience after that about face.

 

[Lucas]

I know and used to respect Victor Hugo Morales, but early this year he did a political somersault and sold out to the government. A pity, as he's a very smart commentator.

There were many pieces in the papers about that both here and in Uruguay, where he's from. He lost a lot of respect, and much of his audience after that about face.

That is because he says what it had to be said and many are afraid to, of course some don't want to hear nothing of that because its going against they interest and their pockets in particular the people who supported the dictatorship and antidemocratic governments, so I'm not surprised that you no like what he is saying.

He did not 'changed' the band he opened his eyes and found out what really all these liars were about and got the guts to said what he think of it.

 

[SaraSara]

Well, I respect your opinion Lucas, but I personally believe he sold out. So do the Uruguayans near my Colonia place - they are ashamed of him.

I did not support the military dictatorship, but neither do I support the Kirchner's totalitarian government. There has to be a better way.