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The government of Mauricio Macri served notice that in 15 days Argentines will no longer enjoy broadcasts from the regional news network, teleSUR, over the government's Open Digital Television.
IN DEPTH:
Don't Silence teleSUR!
teleSUR President Patricia Villegas took to social media Wednesday to denounce what media watchdogs are calling "censorship" on the part of the right-wing Argentine president and his government.
Villegas published the letter sent from Argentine officials which outlined that the decisions was "based on the need to renew the program listings for our Experimental System of Digital Terrestrial Television and Satellite Television System."
In March, however, the head of Media and Public Content Argentina, Hernan Lombardi, said the move to pull out of teleSUR, meaning that the network would not be shown on cable packages or the government-run TDA, was based on the inability of the Argentine government to direct the network's editorial line.
Villegas said teleSUR journalists, not government officials, direct the content of the station and its platforms. Nonetheless, the channel's head offered to discuss the decision openly with Argentine officials.
"Let's review teleSUR programming but in a truthful way," she said.
teleSUR is included in packages of more than 90 cable operators and has agreements with five television stations in different Argentine provinces. Until Feb. 29, 2016, it reached more than 20 million viewers in addition to more than 8 million subscribers.
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