The recently-elected government of Mauricio Macri ordered the immediate suspension of the Senate's TV channel, Senado TV, on Friday. The measure was authorized by Macri’s Vice President Gabriela Michetti, informed the Senate's administrative secretary in a congressional memo, and is part of a widespread move against public media in the country, that has sparked a series of major protests over the last two weeks. The order to suspend the channel was made on Dec. 22, but was only processed on Friday. The government justified the move by saying that during the suspension “the channel's programation will be reorganized, and the Senate will be externally audited over its accounts.” The broadcast signal will, for now, be interrupted, but the channel will not be shut down yet. The channel broadcasts the legislative sessions and various programs, including interviews with representatives, and a news bulletin. Macri’s administration, which formally took power 10 days ago, announced earlier this week that it plans to reorganize all of the country’s state-run media, sparking strong criticism from Argentine alternative media. Source URL |
