Government Control of and Influence on the Press in Latin America: the Ac Se of Argentina During the Presidency of Cristina Fernández De Kirchner (2007-2014) Rachel L
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Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal Volume 17 Article 5 Fall 2014 Government Control of and Influence on the Press in Latin America: The aC se of Argentina during the Presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2014) Rachel L. Yeager University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/inquiry Part of the Latin American History Commons, and the Latina/o Studies Commons Recommended Citation Yeager, Rachel L. (2014) "Government Control of and Influence on the Press in Latin America: The asC e of Argentina during the Presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2014)," Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 17 , Article 5. Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/inquiry/vol17/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Inquiry: The nivU ersity of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. INQUIRY Yeager: Government Control of and Influence on the Press in Latin America Volume 17 Government Control of and Influence on the Press in Latin America: The Case of Argentina During the Presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2014) By Rachel L. Yeager Department of Latin American & Latino Studies Faculty Mentor: Dr. Luis Fernando Restrepo Department of Latin American & Latino Studies Abstract Latin American governments restrict the media for political, historical, and cultural reasons. As these governments trend toward socialism, their influence on media increases. This paper examines methods of media control and investigates whether the increased control leads to bias and inaccuracy of information, both of which jeopardize the functioning of a democratic political system. Four newspapers in Argentina were used as a case study; articles from 2004 to 2013 were evaluated for bias and accuracy. The expected outcome was that newspapers sympathetic toward her administration would become more favorably biased toward her while critical newspapers would become more unfavorably biased. In both cases, the accuracy of reported inflation rates would decrease. The results, however, show three newspapers became more neutral, increasingly printing articles that were not government related or that omitted references to the president. The analysis of the accuracy of the inflation rate was inconclusive due to data limitations. Manipulation of the media by Latin American censorship, when not used solely for issues of national governments is perceived to be increasing in recent security, is in violation of the American Convention on years (NGO, 2011). According to the North American Human Rights (Berfley, 2010), as freedom of speech Congress on Latin America, governments limit the is essentially freedom from prior restraint. Restricted freedom of the press to promote national security, to freedom of speech can suggest more bias and less public help regulate the economy and to prevent monopolies access to truthful information (Glaeser & Sunstein, (Hall, 2012). However, according to Freedom House, 2014). “According to a standard principle in free a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that speech law, the remedy for falsehoods is more speech, advocates for democracy, governments also limit not enforced silence” (Glaeser & Sunstein, 2013, media to curtail criticism against the government, n.p.). Attempts to restrict the media can result in political freedom, and human rights (Karlekar, 2012). more bias and a polarization effect. The authors go The prevalence of censorship has varied with the types on to note, “But empirical research demonstrates that of government systems. As Latin America shifted from corrections of falsehoods can backfire by increasing military regimes to democratic leadership in the 1990s, people’s commitment to their inaccurate beliefs, and the freedom of the press increased under neoliberal, that presentation of balanced information can promote laissez-faire policies (Karlekar, 2012). However, since polarization, thus increasing pre-existing social around the turn of the 21st century, the freedom of the divisions” (n.p.). So the more biased the media outlets press has decreased as Latin American governments become, the higher their potential to lead the public lean toward socialism. Voters elected leaders such as astray. Contrary to what one might think, the media Hugo Chávez in Venezuela in 1999 and Evo Morales in outlets with opposing perspectives do not necessarily Bolivia in 2006 because they wanted more equality and balance each other out and cause people to consider justice for the poorer working class (Larraburre, 2013). information from both sides and, as a result, ‘meet in An increasing level of censorship is worrisome the middle’. Instead, they often reinforce the bias of because government power and policies can virtually their audience and lead them away from a more truthful, achieve prior restraint, defined as the restriction of the neutral perspective (Best, 2010). publication of information before it is published. Such 17 Published by ScholarWorks@UARK, 2014 1 LATINO STUDIES: Rachel Yeager Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal, Vol. 17 [2014], Art. 5 Thus, restrictions on the media can have Argentina provides a good case study for serious consequences. In addition to hindering the this paper since it falls in the middle between the flow of accurate information from the media to the “free” and “not free” ends of the spectrum, making public, government restrictions can also impede the it a representative Latin American country (Karlekar, accurate flow of information from the government to 2012). Media organizations within Argentina and the media. A government that controls what the media around the world, however, have strongly criticized the do and do not print affects government accountability. growing measures of control under President Fernández The media—most notably, the print media—are the de Kirchner. For example, the Global Journalist, a “Fourth Estate” of government; in other words, they converged newsroom that covers global news and the act as a watchdog that monitors the three branches of challenges to a free press, noted that Argentina fell government (Sehgal, 2007). Newspapers and journals seven places from 2012 to 2013 in the press freedom provide necessary checks and balances in a government. rankings by Reporters Without Border (Siegelbaum, If the government prevents news outlets from 2012). Thus, it seems Argentina might be swinging publishing information that puts the government in a back toward an authoritarian policy of controlling the negative light, the government hinders public access to press. This is supported by the complaints of members truthful information. For example, if media outlets fail of the opposition in Argentina, who have warned for to contradict false information the government conveys nearly a decade that the government is headed toward about economic performance, then the public is misled. authoritarianism (O’Grady, 2010). An informed public is essential to the well functioning The goal of this study is to evaluate where the of a democracy. “We can only participate effectively media of Argentina fall on the continuum of censorship in our democracy if we have the information we need and to explore whether they are shifting toward being to make informed choices that affect us” (Hartigan, less free of government influence. I went to Argentina 2009, n.p.). So, because news media must serve as a in the spring of 2013 (by the U.S. calendar) to attend watchdog, it is imperative that they not be controlled or school and to conduct fieldwork for this study. I influenced by the government. solidified my topic and methodology based on my Governments everywhere exert influence over experiences living in Argentina. Based on preliminary the media, to some degree; however, the governments discussions with Argentine citizens and a review of four of Latin America—especially the South American of the top newspapers in Argentina, it was suggested countries of Venezuela, Bolivia, and Argentina—have that Fernández de Kirchner was manipulating the media begun influencing the media in recent years to a degree in various ways. As a result, I decided to examine the that is catching the public’s eye. Through explicit and ways in which her government was perhaps controlling implicit controls, Latin American governments are the media, and to investigate the gravity of her influence limiting the media’s watchdog function. Explicitly, on the media in terms of what they report. If journalists officials have passed laws that place limits on the media. were being repressed to the point that Argentines Implicitly, the governments provide funding or invest were not able to stay adequately informed, then it in government promotions (and therefore, revenue) was important that international organizations address in companies that present them favorably (Karlekar, the situation. In addition, because Argentina was a 2012). Although most countries in Latin America have representative country, the results may be reflective of a right-to-information laws (Mendel, 2009), only Costa trend for the whole region, intensifying the importance Rica, Belize, and Uruguay have “free” media, ranging of the results. from 1.0 and 2.5 on a seven-point scale determined In