Knocking on Newsroom Doors: The Press and Political Scandals in Argentina

This article examines the causes for the rise of political scandals in Argentina in the early 1990s. Available explanations fail to provide a satisfactory answer, mainly because they ignore the interplay of forces that produce media revelations of government wrongdoing. Argentine scandals cannot be reduced to arguments about official corruption but rather require a consideration of political and media developments. Media exposés in Argentina have resulted from particular political dynamics coupled with the increasing opposition of some news media to the Menem administration. Political dynamics such as democratic stability, a strong executive, and the weakness of political parties as policymaking and communication institutions have contributed to reinforcing the role of the press as an alternative arena for acting out political confrontations. The fact that two dailies have adopted a muckraking ethos and conducted investigative reporting, unusual for Argentine media standards, also accounts for the growing centrality of the press in mediating political battles.