BRAZIL ELECTION 2022 Disinformation a major factor in Brazil election debate Yesterdat 12:44 Three months out from the Brazilian presidential election, disinformation is having a major impact.
Murder in the Amazon Fish trade's murky waters cloud double murder in Amazon 22-06-2022 11:16 The pirarucú is one impressive fish – but what has it got to do with the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira?
MISSING IN THE AMAZON Human remains found in Amazon search for journalist, expert 13-06-2022 15:22 Human remains have been found in the search for British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, Brazil's president confirmed Monday.
MISSING IN THE AMAZON Brazil police find blood on suspect's boat in case of missing reporter, expert 10-06-2022 13:14 Traces of blood have been found on the boat of a suspect arrested in connection with the disappearance of a British journalist and a Brazilian indigenous expert in the Amazon.
MISSING IN AMAZON Calls mount for Brazil to find missing journalist, indigenous expert 09-06-2022 00:43 Brazilian authorities on Wednesday arrested a man in connection with the disappearance of a British journalist and a local indigenous expert in the Amazon, police said, as calls mounted for officials to deliver answers on what happened to them.
Cuban Migration Cuban couple's exile reflects disillusioned generation 16-05-2022 17:27 Raúl Prado and Aidana Hernández have now joined thousands of other young well-educated people in fleeing the island nation, where an economic crisis has helped erode hope.
PRESS FREEDOM Online media fuelling divisions, global tensions, says new report 04-05-2022 16:03 Unregulated online content has spread disinformation and propaganda that have amplified political divisions worldwide, fanned international tensions and even contributed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders warns.
SOCIAL MEDIA SALE Elon Musk’s Twitter Labyrinth 30-04-2022 01:17 Musk claims his intention is to guard Twitter’s role as “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated” by protecting free speech. To do that he decided to buy the company for some US$44 billion and take it private. by Agustino Fontevecchia
SOCIAL MEDIA TAKEOVER Free speech or hate speech? Fears for Musk's Twitter 29-04-2022 08:56 Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has sealed a deal to buy Twitter for US$44 billion, potentially delivering him personal control of one of the most influential social media platforms on the planet.
PROFILE Elon Musk: smasher of elites or self-serving pragmatist? 29-04-2022 08:49 Critics say his passion for unfettered conversation has often appeared less profound when his own interests have been at stake.
SOCIAL NETWORKS Twitter takeover was brash and fast, with Musk calling the shots 29-04-2022 08:44 It was one of the most frenzied and unpredictable takeover bids ever, with Elon Musk sealing a deal to acquire Twitter within weeks of anyone even knowing he was an investor.
News Media Conservative media outlet Americano seeks to win over US Latinos 28-04-2022 10:59 'Americano,' the first conservative Spanish-language media network in the United States, is hoping to take a frontline spot in the battle for Latino voters, an influential bloc that polls suggest is drifting rightwards.
BREAKING NEWS Twitter confirms sale of company to Elon Musk for US$44 billion 25-04-2022 16:16 Docial networking platform Twitter announces it is selling the platform to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk in a deal valued at US$44 billion.
ANALYSIS A bite of the digital apple 23-04-2022 00:01 The problem with Google and Faebook sucking the air out of the digital advertising market is that it has seriously deteriorated the quality of journalism worldwide. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Julian Assange UK court formally issues order to extradite Julian Assange to US 20-04-2022 10:50 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange step closer to extradition after UK court approves Washington's request to see him face trial on US soil.
POLITICS Opposition slams government’s plan to tackle ‘hate’ on social media 01-04-2022 18:37 Strategic Affairs Secretary Gustavo Beliz outlines a project to put an end to “social hatred" on social media platforms, promoting swift pushback from opposition.
TECH & SOCIETY The battle to keep Russia's Internet free 18-03-2022 11:28 Western powers have seized the possessions of Russian oligarchs and sanctioned banks, but moves to limit access to the Internet are highly divisive.
BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS Putin’s propaganda machine undercut by social media blackout 04-03-2022 22:28 Social media companies are better prepared to crack down on Russian propaganda, moving more quickly at the request of multiple governments and the EU.
The murder of José Luis Cabezas 25 years without José Luis Cabezas 28-01-2022 22:29 The murder of José Luis Cabezas on January 25, 1997 sent shockwaves throughout Argentina. Twenty-five years on, we remember the late photographer and the chain of events that ended his life.
THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM The great dichotomy 10-12-2021 23:33 Journalism is still in the middle of its transformation into a new discipline, and media companies continue to face a critical situation, particularly in Argentina where economic crisis is the norm. by Agustino Fontevecchia
BLOOMBERG Argentina will let foreign tourists bring in dollars at a lucrative rate 29-10-2021 15:02 Foreigners travelling to Argentina will be able to exchange up to US$5,000 to pesos at the more lucrative MEP (Medio Electrónico de Pagos) rate using a temporary bank account, according to new Central Bank rules.
CARTOONIST DENOUNCES 'THREATS' Opposition demands Aníbal Fernández's resignation after cartoonist clash 13-10-2021 11:25 Aníbal Fernández under fire after clashing with Cristian Dzwonik, a.k.a. Nik; Security minister downplays the message he sent to well-known satirical cartoonist identifying daughters' school.
PANDORA PAPERS LEAK Ecuador's legislature to investigate president over Pandora Papers 11-10-2021 09:15 Ecuador's legislature votes to open investigation into whether Guillermo Lasso broke the law by keeping assets in tax havens.
TECH GIANTS Facebook wins US antitrust dismissal, surges to US$1-trillion value 28-06-2021 19:23 A judge of the of the US District Court dismissed cases filed in December by the Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states, which could have impeded Facebook's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp.
VICE-PRESIDENT SPEAKS CFK tells media to leave ‘vaccines and pandemic out of political disputes’ 15-06-2021 09:35 Ex-president lets rip at government critics, telling the opposition and hostile media outlet to “leave vaccination and the pandemic out of political disputes.”
SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP? 'An insult' — Trump responds to two-year Facebook ban 04-06-2021 14:59 Facebook says it has banned former US President Donald Trump for two years, saying he deserved the maximum punishment possible for violating platform rules over a deadly attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.
NATION v TECH GIANT Argentina orders Facebook to suspend WhatsApp data sharing 17-05-2021 17:59 Government orders Facebook to suspend its data use policy allowing it to collect information from users of its WhatsApp messaging app.
POLICE OPERATION At least 25 killed in police drug raid in Rio slum, says Brazilian media 06-05-2021 15:45 A massive police operation against drug-traffickers in a Rio de Janeiro favela Thursday left at least 24 suspects and a policeman dead, according to reports.
BIG TECH, MASSIVE PROFITS Amazon caps blockbuster Big Tech earnings reports 29-04-2021 12:15 A week of blockbuster earnings reports from Big Tech culminated Thursday with Amazon crushing forecasts of how much money it would rake in from pandemic-revved online shopping and growing reliance on internet-hosted services.
EL NACIONAL Venezuelan newspaper boss decries US$13-million damages ruling 20-04-2021 13:52 Venezuela's Supreme Court of Justice orders 'El Nacional' newspaper to pay Diosdado Cabello US$13.4 million as a punishment in a defamation case.
HUMAN RIGHTS Analysing voices of repression 27-03-2021 08:11 CONICET researchers Valentina Salvi and Claudia Feld on their new book analysing statements from those who committed crimes against humanity during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship. by Luciana Bertoia
BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO Bolsonaro critics face 'intimidation campaign' in Brazil 22-03-2021 14:36 Lawyers and human-rights activists warn Brazil is seeing a surge in legal and extra-legal moves to stifle dissent against President Jair Bolsonaro.
Coronavirus Pandemic 'Bigger than Neymar': Pandemic propels Brazil doctor to fame 12-03-2021 13:47 Dr. Margareth Dalcolmo was an unknown researcher at public health institute Fiocruz when Covid-19 arrived in Brazil in February 2020, but the soft-spoken expert has since made hundreds of media appearances on the health crisis.
ON FACEBOOK´S 17TH BIRTHDAY Facebook and Zuckerberg – one year from adulthood 06-02-2021 09:08 Facebook reached its first million monthly users the same year it was founded, 2004. It reached 100 million just four years later, went on to top one billion by 2012 and currently boasts 2.8 billion monthly active users, or roughly 36 percent of the global population. by Agustino Fontevecchia
SOCIAL MEDIA The fallacy of 'deplatforming' Donald Trump 16-01-2021 08:11 Regardless of whether the decisions made by Mark Zuckerbeg and Jack Dorsey were right or wrong, the Trump ban lays bare the absolute fallacy behind arguments used by the major platforms in the past. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Data journalism How to hunt down a hate group on the Internet 06-01-2021 05:00 In the second of two articles on hate speech and online communication, technology expert Julio López explores how to become involved in the fight against messages of discrimination and prejudice on social networks. by Julio López
Hate & social media Hate groups flourish on social networks in Argentina 05-01-2021 05:00 In the first of a two-part series on hate speech and online communication, technology expert Julio López explores how easy it is for messages of discrimination and prejudice to spread on social networks. by Julio López, via PERFIL
EDITORIAL The first year of the rest of a presidency 12-12-2020 09:08 A bigger game-changer than coronavirus could hardly be imagined, but Argentina remains very much the same country behind the face-masks.
US ELECTION 2020 Social media firms on alert for misinformation in US election 03-11-2020 22:41 Social media firms remain on high alert against misinformation and manipulation efforts on Election Day in the United States.
AS I SEE IT The times have certainly changed 24-10-2020 09:40 The egalitarian ethos that is rapidly consolidating itself in many parts of the world has shaped the response to the challenge posed by Covid-19. by James Neilson
OBITUARY Argentines mourn loss of Quino, beloved creator of Mafalda 03-10-2020 10:05 Nation in mourning as cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado passes away in his native Mendoza, aged 88.
AS I SEE IT The Trump-Biden bar-room brawl 03-10-2020 08:48 If, as seems to be the case, the “debate” between Trump and Biden faithfully reflected the mood of many in the United States today, the world’s most powerful country is undergoing a mental breakdown. by James Neilson
TECH & MEDIA Journalism, beware of Google’s billion-dollar siren calls! 03-10-2020 08:40 The largest threat for Google and Facebook, and Big Tech in general, is regulation. by Agustino Fontevecchia
Bloomberg Google will pay publishers for news content to avoid regulation 01-10-2020 15:24 Alphabet Inc.’s Google will start paying select media outlets to display curated content on its news app in a concession to the industry which has accused the search engine and other tech giants of unfairly using content for years.
US 2020 Election Facebook moves to target misinformation before election 03-09-2020 11:32 Facebook will place new restrictions on political advertising the week before the United States presidential election as a way of targeting misinformation about Covid-19 and voting.
AS I SEE IT The opposition takes to the streets 22-08-2020 09:58 These days demonstrators are well-behaved men and women who wear facemasks not for fear of getting recognised by the cops, but because they have no desire to get infected by the coronavirus. by James Neilson
SOCIAL NETWORKS Biden, Gates, other Twitter accounts hacked in Bitcoin scam 15-07-2020 23:34 Unidentified hackers spark chaos after breaking into Twitter accounts of technology moguls, politicians, celebrities and major companies in an apparent Bitcoin scam.
POLARISATION AT WHAT PRICE? Argentina: Great at failing miserably at democracy 11-07-2020 08:19 What level of tolerance to dissent are we willing to accept? And at which point does the discussion about who thinks what shut out the underlying debates we should be having? by Agustino Fontevecchia