Argentinian Government Blocks Journalist’s Access To Casa Rosada Palace.

Buenos Aires; April 2026: Argentina’s Javier Milei led government has restricted access to the Casa Rosada – presidential palace, as part of an escalating feud with the country’s journalists. Accredited journalists reportedly arrived at the Casa Rosada on Thursday (23rd April 2026) and attempted to enter the building through fingerprint scanning, as they usually do. But they were unable to authenticate the scan. As confusion hit across all the news corporations, the head of Argentina’s Secretariat of Communication and Press issued a clarification that their press accreditation had not been revoked.

Javier Lanari, Secretary of Communication and Press asserted on social media, “The 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. The sole objective is to guarantee national security”.

Lanari’s post cites an incident wherein two journalists from the Argentinian channel TN were accused of secretly filming inside the government palace. 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. Last Wednesday (22nd April) Milei himself took to social media to call the journalists “repugnant trash”. He then challenged other members of the news media to justify their actions. “I would love to see that filthy scum, the 95% who carry press credentials, come out and defend what these two criminals did”.

Google translation clarified the post: DISGUSTING TRASH. I’d love to see those filthy scum who wear press credentials (95%) come out and defend what these two criminals did. I hope this reaches those ultimately responsible. CIAO.

Since then, the President has repeatedly reposted messages critical of the news media, often accompanied by the acronym “NOLSALP” or “NOL$ALP”. It stands for: “We don’t hate journalists enough. Someday, 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”, Milei added in one of his posts on Thursday, as he continued to slam the news media.

This week’s actions are the latest in a series of policy changes under Milei designed to tighten restrictions on journalists. Last year, for instance, his government capped entry to certain rooms in the Casa Rosada and placed other areas out of bounds.

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 “a sharp decline in press freedom”. And PEN International, an organisation for writers, warned last year of a “serious deterioration” in free-speech rights. It pointed to legislation that further restricted which government documents could be made public and to Milei’s dismantling of public media, as well as the installation of a “mute” button to silence journalists during news conferences.

Already, the decision to bar journalists from entry into the Casa Rosada has faced pushback, including from Argentinian lawmakers. Marcela Pagano, a former journalist turned deputy in Argentina’s legislature, announced on Thursday that she had filed a criminal complaint against Milei. “The Casa Rosada is not private property”, Pagano wrote in a statement.

“Still less does a head of state, or his henchmen officials have the authority to decide whether the press may access the building”. She called Thursday’s incident “an unprecedented occurrence since the return of democracy” in Argentina in 1983.

“Prohibiting journalists from exercising their freedom of expression is the first step toward silencing any dissenting voice, a situation that we in Argentina have experienced during our country’s darkest moments. THEY WILL NOT SILENCE US”, she reiterated.

Team Maverick.