The Buenos Aires Herald, part of Argentina’s history folds after more than 140 years
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It was the only newspaper written in English in Latin America; It fell into the hands of Cristóbal López *
The Buenos Aires Herald, a long established English-language newspaper lauded for its coverage of Argentina’s 1976-1983 military dictatorship, will close after more than 140 years of publication, the newspaper said late on Monday.
“Herald’s staff have been informed that the newspaper is closing,” the paper said in a Twitter message, along with a photo of the front page of its 140th-anniversary edition from last September.
The move comes less than a year after the paper, which once called itself the only English language daily in Latin America, switched to a weekly print edition, blaming tough economic conditions and a broad shift among readers to digital media.
The Buenos Aires Herald, closely associated with Argentina’s British and, in later years, U.S. community, won praise for its coverage of the “disappeared” – people who were forcibly abducted, tortured and often murdered by the state during the dictatorship – when much of the country’s media stayed silent.
The Buenos Ayres Herald (the original spelling) was founded in 1876 by William Cathcart, an ageing Scot who had spent 50 years in “the Argentine.” It constituted of a single sheet with advertising on the front and mostly shipping coverage on the back (with the odd general news and community item thrown in).
A year later Cathcart sells the Herald to D.W. Lowe of the United States, who immediately discards the Cathcart principle of a weekly publication in favor of daily news (or at least when there is enough news to fill the paper).
*Cristóbal López is an Argentine businessman, very close to Kirchnerism. He owns the TV channel C5N, Radio 10 and other four radio stations which are mouth pieces for Kirchnerism.
Earlier this month, the Indalo Group ( the BA owners ), which has other media such as C5N and Radio 10, also closed the CN23 news channel. No doubt there will be more closures to come as the courts catch up with Lopez’s previous media empire.
Comment: In the past, the Kirchner Government funded advertising (and dedicated journalists) to kept the paper alive, but its editorial line became more and more left-wing with its slavishly supportive of the ex-president Ms Fernández and only survived by not paying taxes. It’s past loyal more conservative readership collapsed causing it to bleed more money. It will not be missed.
Today English readers can read using Google Translate reliable newspapers like the La Nacion, El Clarin, and the La Cronista for local business and political news that is free from political influence.
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In a word Eva, they went broke. The Herald had changed owners several times in the 2000s before ending up in 2014 as part of Grupo Indalo, whose owners ( Cristóbal López) were close to Cristina Kirchner, the countries left wing president until 2015. (She is currently under investigation for corruption, treason and a number of other serious charges). Under Lopez using government advertising (and dedicated journalists), they kept the paper alive, but its editorial line became more left-wing and slavishly supportive of Kirchner and her allies. However, this all came to an end when the government of her business friendly successor, Mauricio Macri, hit Lopezs Grupo Indalo with a tax demand for 10bn pesos ($570m) of unpaid taxes It was this plus that its reader base had deserted them that caused their demise.
WHAT A SHAME! HOW I WILL MISS THE BUENOS AIRES HERALD EVERY TIME I VISIT BUENOS AIRES – WHAT WAS THE REASON TO END THE PUBLICATION?. WELL, I GUESS WE WILL JUST HAVE TO CONTENT AND HOPE THAT ANOTHER ENGLISH NEWSPAPER WILL BE PUBLISHED IN ARGENTINA.