By Ingrid Bachmann
Argentina's Clarín newspaper published a blank front page Monday, March 28, in protest against the 12-hour blockade at the printing press the previous day that had prevented normal circulation of the country's largest newspaper, reported MercoPress, Notimex and La Gaceta.
Ricardo Kirschbaum, editor in chief of Clarín, explained that the newspaper's blank front page is a "symbol of forced silence, of censorship imposed by other means, and a metaphor of what journalism can become if the spaces of freedom continue being restricted."
On Sunday, protesters also blocked distribution of the newspaper La Nación. The blockades were attributed to persons identified as fired workers from both newspapers, which have the largest circulations in the country and which oppose the government of President Cristina Fernández, explained the news agency AFP.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent months, despite a judicial order prohibiting demonstrators from blocking the plants belonging to the Grupo Clarín newspaper company. Clarín accused the government of standing idly by, even though the courts have ordered authorities to guarantee circulation of the newspaper.
Clarín denies that the incident is related to a union conflict and blamed the blockade on pro-government groups. In an editorial, the newspaper characterized the blockade as an attack on democracy and a stranglehold to prevent the newspaper from talking about corruption. La Nación also condemned the “serious” attack on press freedom.
However, the government denied involvement in the blockades at Clarín and La Nación, according to the Associated Press. The labor minister, Carlos Tomada, said the incident was a labor conflict.
The blockades of Clarín and La Nación were condemned by the Argentine Association of Journalistic Entities, as well as journalists from various media outlets and the political opposition.
Other Related Headlines:
» La Razón (Strong condemnation and outrage at the blockade of Clarín (in Spanish))
» Prensa Latina (For the first time in history, no Sunday Clarín)
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.
