© Reuters. Argentina’s President Javier Milei appears on as he meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) on the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace, in Buenos Aires, Argentina February 23, 2024. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/Pool/File Photograph
By Lucila Sigal
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Staff at Argentine state information company Telam discovered the doorways of the 80-year-old establishment’s workplace barred on Monday and had been informed to down instruments for no less than per week after libertarian President Javier Milei stated he would shut the company down.
Telam’s web site was taken down – with an indication saying it was offline for reconstruction – and employees had been excused for seven days, an inner memo shared with Reuters confirmed. Police had been exterior the workplaces and never permitting folks to enter.
The stand-off underscores Milei’s marketing campaign towards a variety of public establishments, which he says are both inefficient, overly expensive or corrupt. He has stated Telam is a propaganda mouthpiece for the highly effective left-leaning Peronist opposition.
The outsider economist and former pundit, who received a shock election victory final yr, is battling to show round an inherited financial disaster with powerful austerity to tame inflation at 250%, rebuild depleted reserves and overturn a deep fiscal deficit.
His authorities claims this contains having to make powerful choices to chop prices and trim down the dimensions of the state.
Staff and opposition politicians stated his try to shut Telam, which was established in 1945 and employs almost 800 folks, was an assault on the press.
“It is a blow against democracy and freedom of expression and that is why we are going to defend it,” the Buenos Aires Press Union stated in an announcement on X. There are plans for protests afterward Monday, together with by Telam employees.
The Affiliation of International Correspondents of Argentina stated the state information company was essential to making sure a balanced and accessible media surroundings, including that if there points to be resolved then Telam ought to be “reformed, but not annihilated”.
Milei, who has repeatedly criticized Telam, stated in a speech to Congress late on Friday that he would shut it down. He reposted a lawmakers touch upon X over the weekend: “Telam must be closed, it has no reason to exist.”
It was not instantly clear whether or not Telam would stay completely closed or reopen after a short lived shutdown.
