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Last year, a video went viral showing a reporter mocking an Indigenous couple live on the Buenos Aires subway. The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, but it could have remained just that—an act of virtual indignation. However, viewers reacted and filed complaints with two agencies: the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI) and the Ombudsman for the Public. The Ombudsman immediately provided training to the production company on communication and Indigenous identities, and the couple received a public apology.

With the new government, both INADI ( Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism) and the Ombudsman's Office are in danger. "Initially, we weren't included in the omnibus law or the Emergency Decree. That's why we didn't go to present our case to Congress. When negotiations for the law began in the Chamber of Deputies, we found out that they were using us as bargaining chips. It's a maneuver aimed at dividing the cultural and media sectors. They say that if they dissolve the Ombudsman's Office, that money would go to the Ministry of Culture, and that's not the case, Miriam Lewin head of the Ombudsman's Office, in an interview with Presentes .

Lewin has a long and distinguished career as a journalist and teacher. Her work is internationally recognized, and she is the author of six books of fiction and non-fiction. She wrote the investigative report " Whores and Guerrillas: Sexual Crimes in Clandestine Detention Centers" (Planeta Publishing). Lewin is also a survivor of the clandestine detention and extermination centers of Virrey Cevallos and ESMA. Since 2020, she has served as the Ombudsman for Audiovisual Communication Services on the Bicameral Commission for Monitoring the Media Law (26.522). Her term ends in June of this year, but since last week, everything has been up in the air. A draft of the project "Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentinians" (omnibus bill) that circulated last week states: "Articles 19 and 20, Chapter V of Law No. 26522 are hereby repealed." Article 19 creates the Ombudsman's Office and elaborates on its functions.

The attacks started earlier

“They don’t even mention us in that draft. This has a precedent. In December, Representative Silvana Giudici (PRO ) presented a bill to eliminate the Ombudsman’s Office. The Ombudsman’s Office has been subjected to attacks from some members of Congress. They say we are dedicated to political persecution and censorship. And that’s not true. We fulfill an educational role and defend human rights. Because of this persecution, we filed a complaint with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression .”

The Ombudsman's Office is an entity that reports to the Legislative Branch. It was created in 2012 under the Audiovisual Communication Services Law and is funded by taxes levied on private media outlets. Its mission is to defend the rights of audiences against content that threatens democratic and high-quality communication, thereby guaranteeing freedom of expression.

"We're like a consumer protection agency, if you can use that term. We don't depend on public funds . If an official believes a media outlet is spreading false information, they can come to us instead of attacking female journalists on social media . We offer solutions through dialogue and are against all forms of violence or censorship."

– Have media approaches changed since the Ombudsman's Office was created?

– There's a much greater awareness of gender issues. How to cover cases of violence without causing more pain. For this type of coverage, it's always helpful to put yourself in the other person's shoes. In general, the tools we offer are based on reflection: workshops, training sessions, and educational materials. We've traveled throughout the country giving these workshops and have always had a good reception from television channels, radio stations, and journalists. Far from facing opposition, there's an openness to improvement . We have partnerships with UNICEF to ensure that children and young people are represented in the media. Often, they only appear as victims or alleged perpetrators. The same goes for older people: victims, often portrayed through ageism, like "poor grandmother." We also have partnerships with universities. We've established networks in schools, trained advertising agencies, and worked with community radio stations. We work on accessibility and sign language in presidential debates. All of that work would be lost.

– If the Ombudsman's Office is eliminated, where can one appeal?

– If the Ombudsman's Office closes, all this material and work will be lost. And you'll have nowhere to turn if there's discriminatory content on television or radio that promotes hate speech. You can pursue legal action, but that involves hiring a lawyer and navigating the justice system. Obtaining redress could take at least two years and won't have the educational focus that the Ombudsman's Office provides. The Ombudsman's Office doesn't seek to punish or penalize, but rather to provide tools for quality communication that respects human rights. These are very different paths.

– Is it possible to stop the closure of the Ombudsman's Office?

– First of all, it needs to be made public that they want to shut us down, because presenting it as merely the repeal of one article is a way of making us invisible and obscuring the work we've been doing for years. It's important to publicize this situation. That's why we want them to listen to us in Congress. We've received international support, for example, from the ONO (an organization that brings together media defenders from around the world) and the OID (Inter-American Organization of Ombudsmen and Ombudsmen). This isn't about budget; there's a political interest in attacking responsible communication , in preventing audiences from being protected from violent and hateful rhetoric, at a time when there's so much misinformation circulating.

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Add your signature against the closure of the Ombudsman's Office, here.