An AI-manipulated smear campaign targeting journalist Julia Mengolini highlights the intensifying hostility toward the press under President Javier Milei’s administration. Critics argue that such tactics threaten the integrity of journalism and pose risks to journalist safety.
Growing Attacks on Journalists in Argentina Raise Press Freedom Concerns
Growing Attacks on Journalists in Argentina Raise Press Freedom Concerns
President Javier Milei's aggressive tactics against journalists, especially women, are sparking widespread alarm over the implications for press freedom in Argentina.
In Argentina, the landscape for press freedom is increasingly strained under President Javier Milei's administration, as demonstrated by a recent AI-generated smear campaign against journalist Julia Mengolini. The false video, which alleges incest, has gained traction on social media, with Milei taking to X (formerly Twitter) to publicly mock Mengolini, an outspoken critic of his government.
Over the weekend, Milei inundated his followers with over 65 posts that openly derided Mengolini and her character, using the incident as a rallying point for his supporters. This aggressive stance toward the press represents a troubling escalation in hostility, particularly aimed at women journalists, and raises alarms among experts regarding the potential deterioration of press freedoms in Argentina.
With a rhetoric often laced with misogynistic undertones and disinformation, Milei's approach has drawn parallels to tactics used by political figures worldwide, including former U.S. President Trump. His controversial slogan, “We don’t hate journalists enough,” further encapsulates the normalization of disdain for the media within his political ideology.
While Milei did not share the defamatory video directly, his actions indicate a tacit endorsement of the smear campaign against Mengolini, suggesting a troubling precedent for retaliatory measures against dissent within the country's institutional press. This pattern of behavior not only jeopardizes individual journalists but also undermines the integrity of press freedom in Argentina as a whole. As such, advocacy groups and media experts are calling for renewed attention to safeguard journalistic independence in the face of this growing threat.
