Milei Escalates Attacks on Journalists, Vows to Cut Off 'Privileges and Advertising Funds'

President Javier Milei has escalated his public confrontation with the Argentine press, launching a scathing attack on journalists and media outlets critical of his administration. Following the recent rehabilitation of press credentials and amidst ongoing investigations into Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni for alleged illicit enrichment, Milei unleashed a torrent of criticism, characterizing the press as inherently untrustworthy and manipulative.

“

While we have the honor to continue leading the destiny of our country, you will not obtain privileges or advertising funds (at least not from us). We will respond to each of your lies, your operations, and your slanders, and you will have to take responsibility for the things you say like any ordinary citizen.

Milei's administration has consistently signaled its adversarial stance towards the media, with the President himself frequently employing the acronym "NOL$ALP" (No odiamos lo suficiente a los periodistas – We don't hate journalists enough). His recent actions include sharing graphics that prominently feature negative descriptors of journalism, such as "Liar, Sold, Manipulator," and amplifying content that frames the Adorni investigation as a politically motivated "operation."

“

The era of first-class citizens and second-class citizens is over. We are all equal before the law, we must all take responsibility for our actions and in the same way that businessmen have to learn to compete in an increasingly open economy, journalists have to learn to take responsibility for their words.

In a lengthy statement, Milei declared that his government would cease providing "privileges or advertising funds" to media organizations he accuses of disseminating falsehoods and engaging in "operations and slander." He emphatically stated that journalists, like all citizens, will be held accountable for their words and actions, drawing a parallel to the need for businesses to adapt to a more open economy. This stance signals a significant shift in the relationship between the presidency and the press, aiming to dismantle what Milei perceives as an unfair advantage enjoyed by journalists and to establish a new paradigm of accountability.

“

There is a very recurrent phenomenon among Argentine journalists, or among those who claim to practice journalism, which is that upon the first criticism they receive, they accuse censorship and violations of freedom of expression.