6 Country Report: Information Network

Newspapers

Buenos Aires Times: This newspaper bills itself as the only major English newspaper in Argentina. It is owned and operated by Perfil, one of the largest Spanish newspapers in Argentina. Research suggests that while it claims to be an “objective” newspaper, a lot of its coverage and many of its editorial lines are actually very critical of the government. They seek to provide information about a variety of happenings in Argentina to an English-speaking audience. A major strength of this source is the diversity of information available, as there are multiple sections. It covers many things other than politics, like culture and sports. A weakness is its tilt against the national government, which exists both on the actual editorial page and on the website as a whole.

It is accessed at https://www.batimes.com.ar/ and is updated throughout the day on the website; there is also a print version available that is distributed along with Perfil every Saturday.

I chose this source because I think it’s the most inherently accessible as a non-Spanish speaker reading about Argentina from another country, while itself being based in the actual country. I think it provides a good overview of what’s going on in a way that is digestible for someone who mainly speaks English.

Clarín: This is a Spanish traditional newspaper in Argentina with a long history. It is the largest newspaper in the country, and in a country where a lot of the media depends on the government through advertising subsidies is completely independent. When I did some research, Wikipedia said that the newspaper has a “center-right” lean in its coverage. While it has a large circulation with its print newspaper, the online version is also extremely popular in Argentina, with an estimated 32 million visitors to the site each month—this puts it as the third most visited news website in Argentina. Much like Perfil and the Buenos Aires Times, this source is strong because it provides a variety of coverage on different issues. A weakness is its tilt that, while mostly contained to the editorial page, can also spread over to the main news coverage.

It can be accessed online at https://www.clarin.com/edicioninternacional/ and it is updated throughout the day as breaking news occurs; there is also a print edition available for those living in Argentina.

I chose this source because I think that newspapers can often be some of the best indicators of news in a country. Additionally, most of the sources I interact with usually are left-leaning, so this website’s right-leaning opinion tilt can help provide a different perspective of some of the events in the country.

Misiones Online: This is another newspaper that I chose to include. It is a regional publication in Spanish that specifically focuses on the Misiones region of Argentina, a relatively small region in the north that borders Paraguay and Brazil and contains the Iguazú National Park. It seems to provide coverage on a variety of issues, like sports, tourism, and politics. A strength of this source is its detailed concentration of Misiones that can provide a lot of information that might be neglected by larger, national sources. At the same time, though, this can be a weakness because it might cut off some other information.

It can be accessed at https://misionesonline.net/. The source is updated throughout the day as news happens.

I chose to include this source because I think it provides an important regional perspective that might otherwise be missing with some of the more national sources. Much like the United States, Argentina is massive and very decentralized with a lot of regional differences, so news that relates to Buenos Aires might not necessarily apply to Missiones. I think it’s important to consider these types of sources as well to provide a fuller picture.

Página 12: This is a daily Spanish newspaper in Argentina. It is one of the most popular ones, in the ranks of Clarín. It is left-wing in its coverage, and it belongs to the media group Grupo Octubre, which is managed by the Octubre Building Workers Foundation. It has a history in Buenos Aires trade unionism, but most of its audience now is at the medium and medium-high socioeconomic level. It provides coverage on a variety of issues, including politics and culture. A strength of this source is its in-depth coverage and honesty regarding its perspective. A weakness is honestly the amount of ads on the site–they are very distracting and make it difficult to navigate the site at times.

It can be accessed at https://www.pagina12.com.ar/ and also has a print version. It is updated daily.

I chose to include this source because I think it adds to the political diversity of the sources, as the other big newspaper is largely right-leaning. A different political perspective can definitely give a more well-rounded picture of important issues.

La Capital: This is another regional newspaper of Argentina. It is written in Spanish and focuses specifically on Mar del Plata, a coastal city in the Buenos Aires province and the fifth largest city in the country. Even at first glance, the newspaper is very much local and regional–it has sections for family photos and funerals, which remind me of a small town newspaper (even though this is a bigger city). It includes political news and a variety of other subjects, and it appears to be relatively objective. A strength is its focus on the local, giving the reader a perspective outside of Buenos Aires. Its weakness is that the stories can be small-time city stories that are important to understand the area culturally, but are not that important on a grander scale.

It is accessible online at https://www.lacapitalmdp.com/ and is updated regularly.

Much like the source from Misiones, I chose this source because I wanted to include another regionally-focused perspective. Even though this is still in the Buenos Aires province and its own city, and its important news might often still be overlooked by the larger, national media organizations.

El Cronista: This is a historic Spanish newspaper in Argentina, and an extra one in the category as well. It is based in Buenos Aires and is a daily-published business newspaper. Founded in 1908, it was the first business daily newspaper in Argentina and was the first newspaper in Argentina to publish online. Like its description would suggest, it focuses on business and economic issues, both in Buenos Aires and the country as a whole. Its political affiliation is described as “economic liberalism,” meaning supportive of free trade, and it is owned by the media conglomerate Grupo América. A strength is its in-depth reporting of important business and financial issues, which give the paper a lot of focus. A weakness is its ownership by a media conglomerate of entrepreneurs and former politicians, who may not have the best motives to release information.

It is accessible at https://www.cronista.com/ and also has a print edition. It is updated daily.

I chose this source because I wanted something that focused more on the financial sector in Argentina. Since most of the other publications are largely political- or entertainment-based, I thought this source would provide more of a perspective on the economic goings-on of the country.

Websites

Infobae: This is a “new media” website source based in Argentina in Spanish that also provides information about surrounding South American countries. It is operated by the Infobae organization, which appears to be independent from my research. Like one might expect from a new media source, it appears more targeted to a younger audience—there is a higher concentration of articles about pop culture, like coverage of Shakira and Jimmy Fallon or other late night shows. Despite this, it still looks to provide a decent coverage of world news, including war and economics, from what I can tell in the translated browser. A strength of this source is that its coverage of surrounding countries helps to put some things in perspective of what is happening in Argentina (i.e. if it’s just happening there or if it’s a regional occurrence). A weakness is probably the site itself: it’s not visually appealing at all and this makes navigation difficult at times.

It is accessed at https://www.infobae.com/america/ and can also be found on Twitter @infobae. The website seems to be updated every day, and its Twitter is updated every few minutes.

I chose this source because I was looking for a “younger” source that could provide possibly a more youthful (yet still insightful) picture of Argentina. When I saw a source called “Infobae” I knew that it was probably going to be a bit younger and not like the traditional newspapers that I had found at that point.

Noticias Argentinas: This is another new website source in Argentina that is in Spanish. It appears a lot more local to Buenos Aires, showing the 7-day weather forecast for the city and focusing mostly on the bigger, national news topics. I did some more research on it and discovered that it was set up and run by a group of privately-owned newspapers, but I couldn’t find much more accessible information about who specifically was funding it. A strength of the website is that there is a lot of content available, most of it being easily accessible political content and the bigger news issues. A weakness is probably the articles’ length–while a longer length doesn’t necessarily mean better information, it seemed like a lot of the reports were rather short and just the news announcements instead of major explanations. Because of this emphasis on the news, I didn’t perceive any obvious bias, as there weren’t really many opinion pieces.

It can be found online at https://noticiasargentinas.com/. The website is updated as new stories come out and is very up-to-date.

I chose this source because it is a very popular online source that a lot of Argentines trust, and it also has a considerable amount of content.

Télam: This is another Spanish new website source from Argentina. This source is interesting because it is one of the few in modern Argentina that are still state-run. This source includes mostly political news, with a smidgen of culture and other topics. There are also “specials” that are done, which focus on a particular issue. I think it’s also very accessible and neat-looking, and I like that there’s an audio attachment to every article if someone would rather listen. A strength of this source is that it often covers niche topics, and its reports seem well-researched. A weakness is that, because it’s government-run, it could have some sort of bias in that regard and be less likely to criticize the government.

It can be accessed online at https://www.telam.com.ar/ and is updated regularly.

I chose this source because I wanted to include one from the government. Previously, the media culture in Argentina was built on government-owned sources, but because of the current economic situation, this is no longer the case.

Diario Registrado: This is an additional website source that I wanted to include. It is in Spanish and advertises itself as the first audiovisual newspaper in Argentina, which I thought was really interesting. It is based in Buenos Aires, and looks exactly how it sounds: the stories are videos or articles mostly based on pictures to make things easier to follow. In an article I looked at, there were small text explanations, but the bulk of the article was various Tweets showing the information. It includes a variety of categories, including political and economic news, and even an “I Don’t Know” category of miscellaneous postings. It’s a strong source because of how simple and easy it is to understand, but there isn’t a ton of information on the organization or who actually owns it.

It is accessible at https://www.diarioregistrado.com/ and is updated live.

I chose this source because I thought the concept was very interesting and, much like the other websites, provides more of a modern take on what news is and how accessible it should be for the general public.

Social Media

Telefenoticias: This is a social media news account for Argentinean news. It is an offshoot of Telefe, a CBS-affiliate located in Argentina. It is very popular, with over 1 million followers on Instagram alone. It features news on a variety of topics in Argentina, while being formatted for Instagram: there are lots of Reels and videos that explain the news, while the captions below the posts offer further information. It seems to be mostly pop culture- and television-related news, but there are political announcements on the account as well. A strength of this source is the activity of the account as well as the videos that put things in a more visual perspective. A weakness goes along with this, because although an English speaker can translate the captions they cannot do this for the videos themselves.

It can be found on Instagram @telefenoticias, where it looks to be updated at least several times every day.

I chose this source because I liked how popular it is in Argentina and how a lot of people seem to trust it, and I think it represents a lot of the modern wave toward more nontraditional news sources.

Lagenteandadiciendo: This is a very popular Argentine social media source and account. It is very informal, but I found it very interesting. It has over 1.5 million followers, first starting as a niche interest account before expanding to be one of the major players in Argentine social media. It advertises itself as “snippets of conversations we heard on the street…sometimes unfinished, almost always out of context.” This is exactly what it is–a collection of (mostly) anonymous quotations from random people on the street. They can be about a variety of topics, whether those are soccer, politics, or perhaps just life in general. It is a strong source because it gives an unfiltered perspective of life in the country, but it can be a bit too informal at times.

It can be found on Instagram @Lagenteandadiciendo and is updated whenever the account runner wants to update it, whether that’s a few days or a few weeks.

I chose this source because I thought it represented something different. Rather than a full-on, formal news source, it is very informal and is simply quotations. However, in many ways, I think this can be the best way to understand a country, as a viewer gets the perspective of average people on the street.

Marcelo Tinelli: This is an extremely popular Argentine Twitter account, with over 10.2 million followers. Marcelo Tinelli is a journalist and TV personality that many people in the country follow and pay attention to. His feed includes a variety of content, from repostings of television news events, to personal commentary, and a lot of entertainment news in Argentina as well. Like the other social media sites, it is largely informal, and its strength lies in its accessibility but I would not use it as my primary news source.

It can be found on Twitter @cuervotinelli and is updated daily.

I chose this source because Twitter is one of the most used social media platforms in the country, so I wanted to include something from it. Tinelli is one of the most-followed Argentine Twitter accounts that isn’t a soccer player and does some news reporting, so his account could help fill out the information network.

Data

Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos: This is an Argentinean government data source that operates within the Ministry of Economy. It includes a few different categories, from economic censuses (e.g. trade, mining, and prices) to a simple population census. A strength of this site is that it comes from the government, which is not currently known to be corrupt or misrepresenting numbers. I also think it’s interesting that it often breaks statistics down by region; on the front page, for example, there’s a tab of the provincial origin of exports. There is a calendar of when different broadcasts happen (and they appear to happen often), so the public can be prepared.

It can be accessed at https://www.indec.gob.ar/ and has reports that come out regularly, depending on the subject.

I chose this because it was one of the view things I could find that gives direct reports on Argentina within the country. While Argentina’s current government isn’t known for being particularly corrupt, I do think it would be interesting to compare some of the data between this source and what international sources might have to say.

Latinobarómetro: This was an interesting case, in a country where it is very difficult to find data sources outside of the main government source. It is an annual public opinion survey with 20,000 interviews from 18 Latin American countries, although Argentina has a large representation within these countries. It’s a non-profit and is solely responsible for the publication of its own data, and it provides responses on a variety of issues including crime, environment, and the economy. A strength of this source is its accessibility, as it provides responses in Spanish and English and has years of data. A weakness is that it’s updated only yearly, and opinions can change quite a bit within that time so it does not give the fullest picture.

It is accessible online at https://www.latinobarometro.org/lat.jsp and is updated with the survey once a year, periodically with other news reports related.

I chose this source, because I think public opinion data are some of the most important data out there. Raw numbers don’t really mean that much when they aren’t put into context, and I think a public opinion data set can help to provide that context.

Cicomra: This is a Spanish-written data source based in Argentina that focuses specifically on the communications and information market in the country. It details how massive the internet and telecommunications market is, including the revenue it brings in as well as how many users exist. It is the Chamber of Information Technology and Communications of the Argentine Republic, so it has more of a business-centric perspective of the telecommunications industry, similar to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s emphasis on business. A strength is that it features reports on a very important industry for Argentina’s economy and its future. A weakness is that it is a bit business-centric, so its perspective could be limited in that regard.

It can be accessed at https://cicomra.org.ar/estadisticas/ and is updated with a report yearly.

I chose this because of how accessible it is, and I think it provides a great deal of information about a growing industry in the country that has international implications as well.

Television

El Nueve: This is a very popular television station in Argentina. It is owned by the Telearte SA Radio and Television company, and is broadcast live. There seems to be a variety of programs that occur on the channel—there are news and debate slots, as well as times for shopping,  pop culture conversation, or even cooking. Its strength is its accessibility, as it is easily found online and presumably free in Argentina. A weakness is its programming, as only a small portion of it seems to be actual news, and while I was on the site it was on a half-hour ad break that (like in the United States) takes away from a lot of the programming. It then returned to a game/talk show, however.

The channel can be accessed live online at https://www.elnueve.com.ar/en-vivo or on TV in Argentina. It is updated live on air as events happen.

I chose this network because it is the most popular one in Argentina that isn’t owned by either Telefe or Clarín. It seems like a very typical television station, with differences in programming that are geared to bring in viewers.

El Trece: This is a leading national television network in Argentina, with its programming in Spanish. It is owned by the newspaper Clarín, making it yet another example of these huge media conglomerates that exist in the country. It has a wide variety of programs, from news and special news reports, to game shows and more entertaining, fun content. It probably has the same editorial tilt that Clarín does, but it isn’t blatantly obvious. A strength is a variety of programming that can cater to all audiences, but a weakness is it risks blending into Clarín a bit and serving more as a mouthpiece.

It is accessible at https://www.eltrecetv.com.ar/ online and has television cable programming in Argentina. Like most television stations, it is updated on-air.

I chose this source because, even though it is owned by Clarín, it is still one of the major television stations in Argentina that many people look to for their news. It is updated frequently and has in-depth “specials” that people can tune in to.

America (Canal 2): This is another popular television network in Argentina. Its programming is in Spanish, and it includes a live broadcast on the website. It doesn’t really publish its own articles, so most of the content on the website is clips from broadcasts talking about issues, or the audio transcripts that come with them. It seems relatively objective, but (like many television news stations) it can be perceived as a bit sensationalist and more drama-centric. A strength of this source is its variety of content, and a weakness is its lack of original content or special reporting.

It is accessed online at https://www.americatv.com.ar/ and broadcasts live with updates.

Much like the others, I chose this source because it’s one of the most popular and trusted in Argentina, and I think national television stations can be a good representation of what is going on in the country.