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Press freedom advocates have warned of hostile rhetoric towards journalists and increasingly restrictive policies under Milei.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The administration of Argentina\u2019s Javier Milei has restricted access to the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada, as part of an escalating feud with the country\u2019s journalists.<\/p>\n Accredited journalists reportedly arrived at the Casa Rosada on Thursday and attempted to enter the building through fingerprint scanning, as they usually would.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n But they were unable to pass the scan. As confusion hit the news corps, the head of Argentina\u2019s Secretariat of Communication and Press issued a clarification that their press accreditation had not been revoked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision to remove the fingerprints of journalists accredited to the Casa Rosada was taken as a preventive measure in response to a complaint filed by the Military Household regarding illegal espionage,\u201d Secretary Javier Lanari wrote<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sole objective is to guarantee national security.\u201d<\/p>\n Lanari\u2019s post cites an incident wherein two journalists from the Argentinian channel TN were accused of secretly filming inside the government palace.<\/p>\n After their report was broadcast, the Milei administration accused the journalists of endangering government security by showing parts of the Casa Rosada that were reportedly off limits.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Milei himself took to social media to call the journalists \u201crepugnant trash\u201d. He then challenged other members of the news media to justify their actions.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love to see that filthy scum \u2014 the 95% who carry press credentials \u2014 come out and defend what these two criminals did,\u201d Milei wrote<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Since then, the president has repeatedly reposted messages critical of the news media, often accompanied by the acronym \u201cNOLSALP\u201d or \u201cNOL$ALP\u201d. It stands for: \u201cWe don\u2019t hate journalists enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeday, that filthy journalistic scum (95%) will have to understand that they are not above the law. They abused legal precedent. It does not come without a price,\u201d Milei added<\/a> in one of his posts on Thursday, as he continued to slam the news media.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s actions are the latest in a series of policy changes under Milei designed to tighten restrictions on journalists.<\/p>\n Last year, for instance, his government capped entry to certain rooms in the Casa Rosada and placed other areas out of bounds.<\/p>\n Critics say the policies are part of a wider broadside against journalism in Argentina. The media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that, since Milei took office in 2023, the country has seen \u201ca sharp decline in press freedom\u201d.<\/p>\n And PEN International, an organisation for writers, warned last year of a \u201cserious deterioration\u201d in free-speech rights.<\/p>\n It pointed to legislation that further restricted which government documents could be made public and to Milei\u2019s dismantling of public media, as well as the installation of a \u201cmute\u201d button to silence journalists during news conferences.<\/p>\n Already, the decision to bar journalists from entry into the Casa Rosada has faced pushback, including from Argentinian lawmakers.<\/p>\n Marcela Pagano, a former journalist turned deputy in Argentina\u2019s legislature, announced on Thursday that she had filed a criminal complaint against Milei.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n