By Maira Magro
President José Mujica accused the Argentine and Uruguayan press of manipulating his statements, after he generated an uproar for calling Argentina “a country cut in two” by polarization, after attending the wake of former President Néstor Kirchner.
According to Miradas al Sur, Mujica says the statements were “taken out of context” as part of a campaign against him by opposition papers that are “looking for anything that could appear to create a fracture” in the governing coalition.
The controversial interview was heavily covered by the Uruguayan press at a time when the two countries are discussing how they will monitor the border-dividing Uruguay river. According to Télam, Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman – known for his tense relationship with the press – told Mujica to not “fall for the provocations of opposition media.”
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
