By Maira Magro
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez announced Tuesday, Aug. 24, that the country's lawyers will bring a lawsuit accusing Argentina's two largest newspapers, Clarín and La Nación, of illegally appropriating newsprint company Papel Prensa during the military dictatorship (1976-1983), reported the official news agency Télam, the Associated Press, and Agência Estado.
Fernandez presented a report that said the two newspapers acquired Papel Prensa in 1976 using pressure and crimes against humanity. The largest producer of newsprint in the country, Papel Prensa now functions as a troubled association between the Argentine government and the newspapers Clarín and La Nación.
The president also said she will send Congress a bill declaring the production of newsprint an activity in the "public's interest," reported Clarín. The term, explained Agência Estado, allows the government to fix prices, set production quotas, offer tax breaks, and even place restrictions on the composition of the company or the buying and selling of company stock. Fernandez claimed that the company had been favoring its majority shareholders (Clarín and La Nación) to the detriment of other newspapers through unfair trade practices.
According to the president, the bill will also propose a monitoring committee for lawmakers to participate in the creation of a regulatory framework for the use of newsprint, and to participate in Papel Prensa board meetings, said Télam.
The two newspapers deny any irregularity in the purchase of the newsprint company, complaining that the government is persecuting them. They argued that the government report is confused and full of errors.
Newspapers from several countries criticized the Argentine government for threatening press freedom, reported Clarín. The Inter American Press Association released a statement calling the government's attempt to control newspring production "unconstitutional."
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.
