By Maira Magro
Alberto Maquieira, the president of newsprint manufacturer Papel Prensa, has received several threatening letters that say things like “Maquieira, we are watching you,” La Nación reports.
The threats come during a time of conflict between the company and the government (see more posts in Spanish here), and Maquiera believes the letters came from groups linked to the ruling political party, Clarín adds. The newspaper also says that other executives and staff at Papel Prensa have reported threats and intimidation by government workers.
The company, which supplies newsprint to 170 Argentine publications, is owned jointly by the government and the newspapers Clarín and La Nación. However, the two dailies have said they are unhappy with political interference at the manufacturer and want the the government to sell its stake.
Reflecting the tense atmosphere, the board meetings at Papel Prensa have been marked by disagreements and even physical violence. Earlier this month, commerce secretary Guillermo Moreno threw a chair at a lawyer during a meeting, and a court order is now blocking him from attending future sessions.
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.
