On the same day that his government prohibited the entry of all accredited journalists to the Casa Rosada—a measure unprecedented since the return of democracy in 1983—, President Javier Milei did not limit himself to insults in X: he also shared on his networks an image generated with artificial intelligence in which two journalists are seen with microphone-shaped faces and bags full of dollars. The publication was accompanied by its headline motto: “NOLSALP” (We Don’t Hate Journalists Enough)an acronym that the president frequently repeats on his networks and that his followers replicated massively.
The escalation began days before, when The Military House filed a criminal complaint against TN journalists Luciana Geuna and Ignacio Salerno for alleged illegal espionage, after the program “And Tomorrow What”, hosted by Geuna, broadcast images filmed inside the government headquarters. The complaint, signed by Brigadier General Sebastián Ibáñez, fell to federal court No. 4 under Judge Ariel Lijo.
With that file as an excuse, The Presidency decided to remove the fingerprints of the nearly 60 accredited journalists who cover the activities at Balcarce 50 on a daily basis, leaving the extension of the accreditations void. Personnel from the Military House and the Federal Police received the reporters with a list in hand and simply prevented them from entering. The Journalists’ Room was closed for the first time in Argentine history; even during the last dictatorship it had remained open.
Milei, who was traveling in Israel at the time of the first complaint, echoed it from his networks. “DIGUSTING GARBAGE”wrote the president in X, in capital letters, targeting 95% of the country’s communicators. The next day, he added the meme with AI.
The measure did not go unnoticed. The Association of Argentine Journalistic Entities (ADEPA)which brings together 180 companies in the sector, expressed its “utmost concern” and described the decision as “untimely” and without precedent in Argentine democratic life. He stressed that an ongoing judicial investigation does not justify collective restrictions that affect freedom of expression and the right to public information.
It was not the first time that the government used accreditation as a pressure tool. At the beginning of April, it had already selectively prevented access to journalists from media outlets such as El Destape, FM La Patriada, Tiempo Argentino, A24 and Ámbito Financiero, in the context of the scandal over a alleged Russian infiltration to discredit the government. The measure was also extended to the Chamber of Deputies under the presidency of Martín Menem.
The striking thing about April 23 was the context: simultaneously with the exclusion of the press, Milei had a meeting scheduled with Peter Thielfounder of Palantir—a company specialized in data analysis and intelligence—and well-known defender of the idea that “freedom and democracy are not compatible.” Thiel had already held previous meetings with officials from the government’s intelligence area.
The meme with AI, the insults in capital letters and the closed door of Casa Rosada make up the same image: that of a government that chose journalism as enemy of stateand he has no problem saying it with an acronym.
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