The Argentinian government has been waging a war on one specific media company: Grupo Clarin. According to an ABC News article, the battle between Argentina's president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and the media conglomerate has been ongoing for years. Just a few days ago, a federal appeals court declared a 2009 media law unconstitutional (a ruling which favors the media group Grupo Clarin) and "now Fernández is aiming for a Supreme Court showdown with the media conglomerate."
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, "Mrs. Kirchner has put an enormous amount of political capital into trying to undo Clarin, which she accuses of trying to bring down her government through biased reporting. Clarin officials have long argued the law is a ruse to silence independent media companies that publish information and opinions critical of the government."
While the battle rages in the courts, Argentinians took to the streets last Thursday. Over a million Argentinians protested the government and the president's reform of the media laws. According to one University student quoted in a Reuters article by Brian Winter and Jorge Otaola, "I took to the street because we live in a democracy that runs the risk of transforming into authoritarianism."
Anti-monopoly laws should be a good thing, but when wielded by politicians convinced the media is biased against them? Perhaps the big business is the only one big enough to stand up to that. In a country with one overwhelming media giant, is breaking that company up really the solution? Smaller companies are not always run successfully and this particular media giant seems to be on the right side of the law. The decision rests with the supreme court which, according to the Wall Street Journal, "has been loath to hear the case given the pressure it will face to rule in Mrs. Kirchner's favor." Hopefully justice, and not political pressure, will prevail.