UNESCO is the lead UN Agency for promoting freedom of expression and safety of journalists as part of its mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image”.
Understanding Journalist Safety in Argentina
Argentina scores highly for digital safety and low for financial safety. Restrictions on freedom of the press are mainly due to financial mechanisms rather than physical threats or state persecution. Journalists' safety concerns are primarily job precarity and media sustainability. Even though the WJS sample strictly selected respondents with journalism as primary income, only half of the respondents declared full-time positions, and one-third rely on freelance work. Job precarity is often associated with short-term jobs, low wages, and moonlighting. This precarious situation affects the quality and stability of journalism in the country.
The survey, completed in 2023 before the presidential elections, highlights the impact of the political and economic climate on press funding. Over the previous decade, national and local governments have become major advertisers and leading providers of diverse subsidies. In a country that ranks eighth worldwide in terms of territorial size, with low population density and widespread poverty, the sustainability of media outlets is challenging. Media reform in 2009 promoted the creation of media outlets, primarily public and community-based. As a result, Argentina became the country with the highest number of radio outlets in Latin America, and numerous failed digital ventures that barely support professional journalism. The imbalance between supply and demand creates a weak financial infrastructure, resulting in a high dependency on government funding and informative subsidies from public relations and official sources. This financial instability is a weak spot in Argentine journalism, demonstrating that financial issues can severely restrict journalists' freedom and impact their psychological health, even in countries with high scores in physical and digital safety.
Safety Dimensions
This radar chart displays how the country performs across all four safety dimensions, revealing areas of strength and concern.
Gender Safety Gap
This comparison highlights differences in safety experiences between male and female journalists, revealing potential gender-based disparities.