The leader of the Catholic Church expressed his support to the workers of Télam National News Agency with a video.
On Monday, Pope Francis expressed his support to the workers of Télam news agency, after Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, announced on March 1 his intention to shut down the agency. The Pope also said he prays for all workers.
“Sometimes, I’m a bit concerned, regarding the media, when I see an unstable situation. I have the workers of Télam on my mind, for instance”, the Argentinian Pope said in a video posted by former president of Télam Bernarda Llorente on her X account.
Then, the leader of the Catholic Church reflected: “We cannot see the future ahead and we don’t know for certain how things will go on”. Then, he concluded: “I pray for all workers who are in this confusing situation”.
On the evening of March 1, during his annual state-of-the-nation- speech to Congress, President Milei confirmed his intention to shut down Télam news agency, arguing that it has been used “for the last decades as an agency of ‘kirchnerist’ propaganda”.
During the night of March 3, Télam’s two headquarters in Buenos Aires City were fenced off and security forces was deployed at the doors to prevent workers from entering the buildings.
Simultaneously, the agency’s website (www.telam.com.ar) was shut down and replaced by a message that reads: “Site under construction. The site you are trying to reach is currently under reconstruction”, with an image of the national emblem.
From that moment on, workers cannot access the news wire platform where articles and photographs are normally uploaded; and the over 800 subscribers of the agency cannot access the various services that Télam offers, its valuable archives among them.
Until April 8, the official government plan is unknown and no formal document has been issued to formalize the agency’s shutdown.