More than 230 journalists from throughout Argentina gathered in Buenos Aires Nov. 20-21, 2009, for the Argentine Journalism Forum’s (FOPEA) Fourth National and International Congress. Aproximately 50 speakers gave presentations about the social responsibility of media and journalism. read more »

The Senate unanimously approved a law eliminating prison terms for libel and slander by journalists, ten years after the government signed an agreement with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights saying it would do so, La Nación and Página 12 report. read more »

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) praised a Supreme Court decision (PDF file) to reverse a ruling that freed one of photojournalist José Luis Cabezas’ killers, EFE reports. read more »

The Argentine national coach is banned from formal involvement in footbal until Jan. 15, 2010, less than six months before the start of the World Cup, Britain’s Guardian reports. He was also fined the equivalent of US$24,000. (See other stories here). read more »

Protesters belonging to the truck drivers' union prevented Clarín and La Nación from leaving their printing plants, Momento 24 reports. Only a portion of the dailies could be delivered in some provinces in the interior. read more »

A paper by economists Rafael Di Tella of Harvard and Ignacio Franceschelli of Northwestern shows a strong correlation between government advertising dollars and front-page newspaper coverage of corruption scandals, Joshua Benton reports for the Nieman Journalism Lab. read more »

The Chamber of Deputies, supported by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, voted to eliminate prison terms for libel and slander offenses, meeting a long-standing demand from journalism groups, La Nación reports. The law still needs to pass the Senate. read more »

Darío D’Atri, editor of Clarin.com, will present the course “Newsroom Integration: Is It Possible?” from Nov. 12-14, 2009, in Monterrey Mexico. The course is part of the digital journalism training series offered by Mexico's Autonomous University of Nuevo León. read more »

The Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA) has launched an Investigative Reporting Unit that will spend two months investigating a topic of public interest. The reports will be presented in multiple formats and sent to all media outlets in the country to use free of charge.

FOPEA is using this method so that public interest reporting reaches more citizens. The unit is a six-month pilot project that FOPEA plans to expand in the future. It is supported by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. read more »

Gabriel Insaurralde, a host on radio station LT 14 in Paraná, Entre Rios, was last seen Oct. 18 and was found by police in a well near his house, Clarín reports.

Investigators have not ruled out an accident, suicide, or a crime. Insaurralde’s body showed no obvious signs of violence, La Capital adds.

Moving forward with the controversial media law approved this month, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has created a new enforcement agency to replace the current state broadcasting regulator. She has also formed a new public radio and TV company, the Buenos Aires Herald reports. The changes are to take effect Dec. 10. read more »

An anonymous video (Youtube), first posted on the internet and later on the the state-run Canal 7, collects hidden camera footage allegedly showing a La Nación newspaper columnist agreeing to publish false information biased against the oil company YPF, El Día reports. read more »

Media companies that oppose the broadcast reform law, which the Senate passed Saturday, say they will fight it in court, and opposition lawmakers will urge the next Congress to rescind or revise it, Reuters reports. read more »

The conflict between Grupo Clarín and the government added a new layer. The media conglomerate has sued the domestic commerce secretary, Guillermo Moreno, for threats he allegedly made at a meeting with state officials at the Papel Prensa newsprint company, Perfil reports. read more »

Civil society groups organized a protest against the government's proposed broadcast law, which the Senate could approve on Friday. Organizers said 5,000 people attended, but police counted only half that number, La Nación reports. read more »

Social movements planned demonstrations in Buenos Aires and other cities against a media law proposed by the government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Perfil reports.

The Senate is preparing to debate the bill on Friday. The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill two weeks ago. read more »

The lower house of Congress approved a controversial measure that would curb the power of news conglomerates and regulate TV and radio broadcasters, The Wall Street Journal and CNN report. read more »

Some 200 federal tax agents searched the offices of the daily Clarín in Buenos Aires, intensifying a battle between the government and one of Latin America’s largest media groups, Reuters reports. read more »

The Argentine telecom regulator, Comfer, said it rejected the merger application for CableVisión and MultiCanal, the largest cable TV operators in the country, a decision that deepened the conflict between the government and the largest domestic media company, Grupo Clarín, Reuters reports. read more »

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned "acts of intimidation" against Clarín's executives and facilities. The Association of Argentine TV and Radio Broadcasters (ATA) also protested the actions, La Nación reports. read more »