Argentine Media Says Kirchner Quashes Critical Voices

Argentina's leading dailies, like a lot of newspapers in the US, are locked in a fight for survival amid declining ad sales. The troubles of Clarín and La Nación, however, aren't due just to circulation declines and online competition, but also to a government-led attack, the newspapers say.

In recent years, President Cristina Kirchner's government has slashed state advertising in both newspapers as it lavishes money on smaller rivals, radio and television stations that support her, according to court rulings and government data on ad spending. This year, the government, facing a weak economy and falling approval ratings, convinced retailers to pile on, the newspapers and others familiar with the matter say. In February, Commerce Secretary Guillermo Moreno—whose sweeping powers include regulating prices and imports—told supermarkets and electronics retailers, who make up the bulk of newspaper ad spending, to stop advertising with Clarín, La Nación and a smaller paper, Perfil.