By Maira Magro
The Association of Argentine Journalistic Entities (ADEPA) published a statement denouncing a recent series of threats and intimidation against journalists. Violent reactions to investigative journalism has become a tradition, the group said.
ADEPA cites the following cases:
* Daniel Santoro of Clarín has suffered telephone surveillance and his emails have been intercepted;
* Matías Longoni, also from Clarín, was sued by Ricardo Echegaray, ex-leader of the national organization of agricultural trade control, after Longoni reported on irregularities in the granting of subsidies;
* Editor Juan Cruz Sanz, from Clarín, was the target of disparaging banners hung over streets throughout his hometown;
* The newspaper La Verdad, in Junín, received anonymous, threatening phone calls that were linked to the publication of various articles about prostitution and irregularities at a local clinic;
* El Independiente, a newspaper from the province of La Rioja, confronted a protest, at the doors of its building, during which officials from the Transportation Department demanded to know the source behind a story about the department;
* Carlos Gamond, editor of the newspaper Puntal in Río Cuarto, was threatened on several occasions by a lawyer in retaliation for coverage of a lawsuit against him.
“Often the messenger is the one attacked and insulted, instead of criticizing or rejecting the originating cause of the message," the statement from ADEPA said.
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.
