Buenos Aires Herald 
President Javier Milei announced he aims to shut down the public news agency Télam during his speech to kickstart the legislative year in Congress.
Télam is the biggest and most prestigious news agency in Argentina, and operates as a state-owned limited company. It was created in 1945 by former President Juan Domingo Perón, who at the time was Labor Secretary.
“We will close the news agency Télam, which has been used as a Kirchnerist propaganda agency for the last decades,” Milei said on Friday during his speech.
He made the announcement right after mentioning the closure of the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI, by its Spanish acronym), which was announced last week.
According to Milei, the closure of Télam goes in the same vein as shutting down INADI, which he called “the thought police” and accused of “paying hired political activists.”
Milei said that he planned to privatize Argentina’s public media during his first interview after being elected, calling them “a covert propaganda ministry.” Other possible candidates for closure include the TV Pública channel.
Télam published the news of its own closure on its website minutes after the announcement.
What does Télam do?
Télam provides newswires and photographs to news outlets across the country via a paid subscription. They have reporters nationwide and aim to provide information from all over the country.
They also have Télam Radio and provide audio clips for radio stations. For many small news outlets, these services are the only way to access trustworthy information, radio reports and quality photographs.
Milei had attempted to privatize Télam with his omnibus bill state reform proposal, which failed to pass the Chamber of Deputies. Télam was originally included in a list of state-owned companies to be privatized, which was subject of heated debate and rejected by a large proportion of deputies.
This is not the first time Télam has been attacked for alleged bias. In 2018, during former President Mauricio Macri’s administration, 357 employees — around 40% of the company’s staff — were laid off. This meant five provinces lost their Télam correspondents, while the agency’s English and Portuguese websites were closed.
At the time, Télam’s directors published a statement saying those who were fired had “mixed up journalism with political propaganda.” In the following months, a labor court ordered all 357 workers return to their positions.
Milei also intends to close other public news outlets such as TV Pública news channel, Radio Nacional and educational channels Paka Paka and Encuentro. In early February, he ordered a year-long public media takeover — in Argentina, this means the executive power chooses its own authorities, interrupting the normal functioning of a public institution or company.
