Multimedia
Audio
Video
Photo

Argentina: Kirchner asked to show commitment to press freedom after supporters attack journalists

Anonyme, Friday, May 16, 2003 - 09:06

Reporters Without Borders

Reporters Without Borders today voiced concern about physical attacks against TV crews by supporters of presidential candidates Carlos Menem and Néstor Kirchner in two separate incidents in the past few days and called on Kirchner, now president-elect, to show a commitment to press freedom.

«These attacks by supporters of presidential candidates are absolutely scandalous,» Reporters Without Borders said. «We hope that Kirchner’s first decision as president will be to demonstrate his commitment to press freedom by ensuring that those responsible are punished, starting with his own supporters.»

Canal 9 reporter Marcelo López Masía and his cameraman were attacked by supporters of Kirchner on the evening of 10 May when López tried to ask him about a transfer of Santa Cruz province public funds to a foreign bank account while he was the province’s governor. Kirchner refused to answer, and a few seconds later those accompanying him hit the TV reporter and his cameraman and destroyed part of their material. Kirchner did not try to stop them.

Menem supporters roughed up América 2 reporter Marcelo López and his cameraman and damaged their equipment in La Rioja on 14 May while they were outside the mansion of the provincial governor, Angél Mazza, where Menem had gone to decide whether or not to participate in the presidential run-off. The police then made them leave. (Coincidentally, the reporters in the two incidents have almost identical names.)

This was not the first time that supporters of Menem, who has been accused in several cases of corruption and tax fraud, were quick to react with the press. According to the Argentine press freedom organisation Periodistas, Menem’s security staff and supporters attacked journalists who were doing their job seven times in 2002.

International Secretariat
Americas Desk

General website of Reporters Without Borders
www.rsf.org


CMAQ: Vie associative


Quebec City collective: no longer exist.

Get involved !

 

Ceci est un média alternatif de publication ouverte. Le collectif CMAQ, qui gère la validation des contributions sur le Indymedia-Québec, n'endosse aucunement les propos et ne juge pas de la véracité des informations. Ce sont les commentaires des Internautes, comme vous, qui servent à évaluer la qualité de l'information. Nous avons néanmoins une Politique éditoriale , qui essentiellement demande que les contributions portent sur une question d'émancipation et ne proviennent pas de médias commerciaux.

This is an alternative media using open publishing. The CMAQ collective, who validates the posts submitted on the Indymedia-Quebec, does not endorse in any way the opinions and statements and does not judge if the information is correct or true. The quality of the information is evaluated by the comments from Internet surfers, like yourself. We nonetheless have an Editorial Policy , which essentially requires that posts be related to questions of emancipation and does not come from a commercial media.