As I see it The worst journalists in the world Today 06:07 Milei wants to control the narrative and, by doing so, change the way Argentines think about the world. Does hurling insults at journalists help win him more adherents? by James Neilson
INTERVIEW James Rubin: 'China is supporting Russia's war in Ukraine and repeating its crazy arguments' Today 05:24 China is supporting “materially, diplomatically, and even repeating Russia’s crazy arguments for this war,” says James Rubin, the United States’ top diplomat in charge of battling disinformation abroad. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CULTURE WARS The perfect enemy for Javier Milei 13-04-2024 05:28 The president, his inner circle, and the Cabinet have become extremely selective regarding the outlets and journalists they speak to, with Milei only giving interviews to friendly reporters who lob softballs at him. by Agustino Fontevecchia
MEDIA Pressure on the press: from Videla to Milei 12-04-2024 17:20 Attacks by Javier Milei on the press in general, and at 'Noticias' and 'Perfil' in particular, are nothing new. Argentina’s President is using old methods to silence critics. by Gustavo González
NEW EVENT IN BUENOS AIRES Disinformation hackathon: Seeking contributors to help tackle fake news 26-03-2024 17:17 On April 17 and 18, journalists, programmers, data analysts and designers will meet in Buenos Aires to debate and design tools to combat disinformation – the 2024 'Hackathon contra la desinformación' is almost upon us!
POLITICS – ANALYSIS Emperor of the Argentine Republic? 23-03-2024 06:32 In a country obsessed with dark priests that roam Government House with differing levels of influence on the upper echelons of the political class, Santiago Caputo has walked into his role perfectly. by Agustino Fontevecchia
COMMUNICATION & POLITICS Argentina's 'troll' president: Milei takes aim at rivals online 07-03-2024 15:42 Argentina’s outspoken ultra-liberal president expresses himself online at frantic speed, using social media sites as a both a platform for his "revolution" and an outlet for his anger.
WAR IN MIDDLE EAST Israel's Shiri Bibas: unwitting face of hostages 06-03-2024 14:31 Poignant images of an anguished Shiri Bibas clutching her two red-headed boys as she was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 have turned her into the face of the Israeli hostages seized that day.
NEWS AGENCY SHUTTERED Government suspends Télam state news agency, puts workers on leave 04-03-2024 16:57 State news agency’s offices fenced off as workers are sent on leave for seven days; Website shut down for “reconstruction” as Télam’s staff take to streets in protest.
President's address Milei announces he will close Argentina's state news agency Télam 02-03-2024 12:55 President Javier Milei announced Friday that he would move to shutter Argentina’s state news agency Télam.
OPINION & ANALYSIS Fight club 24-02-2024 06:08 For President Javier Milei, anyone who thinks differently is simply an enemy. This is a real problem because it undermines the very concept of democracy. by Nelson Castro
Messi in China Messi Hong Kong no-show sparks wave of outrage in China 09-02-2024 16:33 Lionel Messi's no-show at a match in Hong Kong has triggered a surge of online outrage in the city and in mainland China
FILM & CINEMA ‘Cold Copy’ thriller probes facts, falsehoods and media’s thirst for clicks 09-02-2024 06:06 Director Roxine Helberg's new film, released in the United States last week, is a thriller that begs viewers to consider what's real and what's falsified in contemporary journalism. by Ashton Goren
POLITICS Milei hands Cabinet chief control of the media, more power to sister 05-02-2024 07:12 President Milei increases power of Nicolás Posse and Karina Milei, designating them in charge of public media and communication; All state outlets placed under one-year public trusteeship in second decree.
ELECTIONS 2023 Argentina's presidential hopefuls compete for votes and followers on social media 18-07-2023 10:33 Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook, each network with its own audience and peculiarities, are central to the digital terrain in which Argentina’s presidential hopefuls are competing for votes. But who has the most followers and the greatest reach?
BRAZILIAN ECONOMY Brazil 'finfluencers' bring finance to the favelas 17-05-2023 15:05 So-called 'finfluencers,' or financial influencers, are going viral in Brazil, delivering financial education to the masses in a country known for its gaping inequalities.
MEDIA & SOCIETY Argentina’s drops 11 places in press freedom ranking 08-05-2023 22:51 Reporters Without Borders calls out consolidation of media ownership, polarisation, gaps in public policy, and low pay as primary threats to press freedom in Argentina. by Api Dhadda
SOCIAL MEDIA Brazil court suspends Telegram app in neo-Nazi probe 27-04-2023 13:47 Brazilian court orders nationwide suspension of messaging app Telegram after parent company failed to provide data on neo-Nazis operating on network.
ELECTION 2023 Córdoba leads way as politicians splash cash on social media 26-04-2023 22:59 Data showing the biggest spenders on Meta over the last 90 days reveals huge investments from Córdoba; Schiaretti and Lousteau coughing up the most, though keep an eye on ‘satellite’ accounts used to hide spending. by Julian D'Imperio
NEWS MEDIA & JOURNALISM A day of reckoning for journalism in the age of polarisation 25-02-2023 06:22 We live in a post-modern world where trust for traditional institutions has been receding for quite some time. When it comes to journalism there are no doubts that we are in the midst of a crisis that goes beyond the economic situation of news publishers, broadcasters, and radio stations. by Agustino Fontevecchia
CLIMATE DENIERS Climate disinformation surges in denial, conspiracy comeback 02-02-2023 16:51 False information about climate change flourished online over the past year, researchers say, with denialist social media posts and conspiracy theories nearly doubling from 2021 to 2022 after US environmental reforms and Elon Musk's Twitter takeover.
Media in Argentina ‘Argentinisches Tageblatt’ newspaper stops printing after 134 years 13-01-2023 15:37 Following the death of its editor, 'Argentinisches Tageblatt' – the weekly German-language newspaper that has been printed in Buenos Aires for more than a century – published its final edition this Friday. by Erica Davis
Diss Track Shakira and Bizarrap's new song sets social media alight 12-01-2023 17:24 Shakira and Bizzarap set social media ablaze on Thursday night after releasing a song openly aimed at the Colombian artist's ex-partner, Gerard Piqué; New tune has been listened to 34 million times in 17 hours.
LEAKED TELEGRAM MESSAGES President calls for investigation into alleged political-judicial collusion 05-12-2022 22:18 Alberto Fernandez calls for opening of a criminal investigation into alleged collusion between judges, prosecutors and media entrepreneurs after publication of leaked messages showing a conspiracy to cover-up details of a suspicious trip to Lago Escondido.
Latin America LatAm newspapers eye more income after consolidating digital subscriptions 01-11-2022 21:43 Having overcome the resistance to paying for news on the Internet, newspapers in Latin America are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
On 'Fake news' The weaponisation of information in Latin America 22-10-2022 06:00 Disinformation is not new and has been used for millennia. Yet its digital iteration harnesses the power of the Internet which has brought together the largest and most interconnected communications network in the history of humanity. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Big tech A Holy War is raging between Google, Facebook, and the media industry 24-09-2022 06:00 The power that Google, Facebook and a few other companies hold over the information ecosystem, where they’ve become the de facto gatekeepers, is troubling. Ultimately they've taken over an editorial role that used to be controlled by media companies, in particular news publishers. by Agustino Fontevecchia
ATTACK ON VICE-PRESIDENT Attack on Cristina Fernández de Kirchner triggers misinformation and mistrust 08-09-2022 14:22 As news agencies began transmitting the image of a man pulling the trigger of a pistol aimed at the face of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, social networks were exploding with messages casting doubts about the attack.
BRAZIL ELECTION 2022 Lies, damn lies and social media: fake news stalks Brazil vote 01-09-2022 01:38 The sheer volume of fake news, creation of new social media platforms and ever more complex content has made it even more difficult to verify information ahead of Brazil's October 2 presidential elections.
Brazil Elections Brazil's Bolsonaro gets in spat with heckler 19-08-2022 15:49 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro got into an altercation Thursday with a social media personality who questioned and insulted him, grabbing the man by the shirt and arm after he called the leader a "bum."
BRAZIL ELECTION 2022 Bolsonaro, Lula kick off campaigning for Brazil's October election 16-08-2022 15:50 Brazil’s election 2022 campaign officially gets underway in giant nation, where voters will choose from far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
BRAZIL ELECTION 2022 Bolsonaro steps up radical rhetoric in Brazil election run-up 10-08-2022 22:10 Trailing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in major opinion polls, Jair Bolsonaro ramps up rhetoric, describing Argentina and Venezuela as examples of what’s going wrong in the region.
BRAZIL ELECTION 2022 Disinformation a major factor in Brazil election debate 04-07-2022 12:44 Three months out from the Brazilian presidential election, disinformation is having a major impact.
Murder in the Amazon Fish trade's murky waters cloud double murder in Amazon 22-06-2022 11:16 The pirarucú is one impressive fish – but what has it got to do with the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira?
MISSING IN THE AMAZON Human remains found in Amazon search for journalist, expert 13-06-2022 15:22 Human remains have been found in the search for British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, Brazil's president confirmed Monday.
MISSING IN THE AMAZON Brazil police find blood on suspect's boat in case of missing reporter, expert 10-06-2022 13:14 Traces of blood have been found on the boat of a suspect arrested in connection with the disappearance of a British journalist and a Brazilian indigenous expert in the Amazon.
MISSING IN AMAZON Calls mount for Brazil to find missing journalist, indigenous expert 09-06-2022 00:43 Brazilian authorities on Wednesday arrested a man in connection with the disappearance of a British journalist and a local indigenous expert in the Amazon, police said, as calls mounted for officials to deliver answers on what happened to them.
Cuban Migration Cuban couple's exile reflects disillusioned generation 16-05-2022 17:27 Raúl Prado and Aidana Hernández have now joined thousands of other young well-educated people in fleeing the island nation, where an economic crisis has helped erode hope.
PRESS FREEDOM Online media fuelling divisions, global tensions, says new report 04-05-2022 16:03 Unregulated online content has spread disinformation and propaganda that have amplified political divisions worldwide, fanned international tensions and even contributed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders warns.
SOCIAL MEDIA SALE Elon Musk’s Twitter Labyrinth 30-04-2022 01:17 Musk claims his intention is to guard Twitter’s role as “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated” by protecting free speech. To do that he decided to buy the company for some US$44 billion and take it private. by Agustino Fontevecchia
SOCIAL MEDIA TAKEOVER Free speech or hate speech? Fears for Musk's Twitter 29-04-2022 08:56 Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has sealed a deal to buy Twitter for US$44 billion, potentially delivering him personal control of one of the most influential social media platforms on the planet.
PROFILE Elon Musk: smasher of elites or self-serving pragmatist? 29-04-2022 08:49 Critics say his passion for unfettered conversation has often appeared less profound when his own interests have been at stake.
SOCIAL NETWORKS Twitter takeover was brash and fast, with Musk calling the shots 29-04-2022 08:44 It was one of the most frenzied and unpredictable takeover bids ever, with Elon Musk sealing a deal to acquire Twitter within weeks of anyone even knowing he was an investor.
News Media Conservative media outlet Americano seeks to win over US Latinos 28-04-2022 10:59 'Americano,' the first conservative Spanish-language media network in the United States, is hoping to take a frontline spot in the battle for Latino voters, an influential bloc that polls suggest is drifting rightwards.
BREAKING NEWS Twitter confirms sale of company to Elon Musk for US$44 billion 25-04-2022 16:16 Docial networking platform Twitter announces it is selling the platform to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk in a deal valued at US$44 billion.
ANALYSIS A bite of the digital apple 23-04-2022 00:01 The problem with Google and Faebook sucking the air out of the digital advertising market is that it has seriously deteriorated the quality of journalism worldwide. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Julian Assange UK court formally issues order to extradite Julian Assange to US 20-04-2022 10:50 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange step closer to extradition after UK court approves Washington's request to see him face trial on US soil.