Argentine government opens social media profiles to refute 'lies' about Milei

(Patria) - Argentina's right-wing government intensified its clash with the media on Thursday by launching social media profiles to "expose" what it called media lies about libertarian President Javier Milei, AFP reported.

The new government profile is called the Office for Official Response and quickly garnered 43,000 followers shortly after its launch.

Its inaugural post, which Milei retweeted, states that it was created "to actively expose lies, point out specific falsehoods, and debunk the actions of the media and the political caste".

Within hours of its launch, the account had posted two alleged debunkings - one was a statement by a leftist congressman, and the other was a headline in the conservative newspaper Clarín.

Milei has regularly insulted and denigrated the media since taking office in December 2023.

One of his slogans is: "We don't hate journalists enough."

The Argentine media association Adepa expressed "concern" about the launch of the new government profile, saying there was a risk it could become a tool for "surveillance" to silence critical voices.

The profile has drawn comparisons to the launch of a White House page late last year called the "Hall of Shame of Offenders." The page also names and shames media outlets that publish stories disputed by US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Milei.