The president of Telesur, Patricia Villegas, announced that the multi-state media outlet will continue to do its work in Argentina despite recent threats against freedom of speech by Javier Milei’s administration.
Villegas made this statement on her social media on Saturday, February 3, in the context of a recent decree from the Agrentinian government questioning the participation of Argentina in Telesur.
Villegas’ statement comes after a process of intervention of public media by the government began in Argentina, through decree 111/2024 in which Telesur is erratically mentioned. Section 14 of the decree reads, “Understanding the participation of the State in Telesur, per the guidelines and procedures issued by the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers.”
In response to this decree, Villegas said, “Beyond the difficulty generated by this erratic wording, I want to save you the work: there is nothing to understand. The Argentinian State questioned the participation agreement in Telesur during the Macri government. There is nothing to check.”
Más allá de la dificultad que genera esta redacción errática, les quiero ahorrar el trabajo: no hay nada que entender. El Estado Argentino denunció el acuerdo de participación en teleSUR en el gobierno de Macri (1). No hay NADA que revisar. 🧵(3). pic.twitter.com/FlTCt6tnhb
— Patricia Villegas Marin (@pvillegas_tlSUR) February 3, 2024
In another post, Villegas expressed solidarity with the employees and viewers of Argentina’s public media in the context of the Milei government’s recent actions against freedom of speech.
Aprovechamos este mensaje para solidarizarnos con los millones de usuarios de los medios públicos y sus trabajadores, ante estas acciones ya emprendidas por el gobierno contra la pluralidad de voces que se reflejan en estos contenidos, que hoy están amenazados. (5).
— Patricia Villegas Marin (@pvillegas_tlSUR) February 3, 2024
In 2016, during the government of former far-right President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), the Telesur signal stopped being broadcast by Open Digital Television after the Macri administration intervened in the entities that regulate telecommunications and audiovisual media in the country.
Four years later, in 2020, the government of Alberto Fernández announced the reinsertion of Telesur into the Open Digital Television network.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
