The death that divided Argentina's media

The contradictory coverage of a suspicious death; plus, the growing politics behind the world's most watched TV show.


Twenty-one years ago, the bombing of a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires claimed the lives of 85 people. In January 2015, the unsolved mystery of the bombing may have claimed another life - that of Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor who was accusing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of orchestrating a cover up of the attack. Nisman was found dead in his apartment from a bullet to the head.

From the time of his death to the judge throwing the case out of court this past Thursday, the coverage that has unfolded across both sides of the domestic media divide has become a story in itself. Media organisations close to the government have been at pains to discredit Nisman's case and throw his motives into question. Private media with an axe to grind against the government have grasped at any chance to direct the focus of speculation against the president.