President Javier Milei has reaffirmed his commitment to close the state-run Télam news agency during his speech at the opening of the regular sessions of Congress. This decision adds to a series of measures announced by the president aimed at dismantling what he describes as privileges of the "political caste."

During his speech, Milei highlighted that Télam has been used as a propaganda tool, especially in the service of Kirchnerism's interests over decades. "We are going to close the Télam agency, which has been used in recent decades as a Kirchnerist propaganda agency," the president stated.

The lack of control and partisan political management have led President Milei to determine that the simplest solution is the closure of the agency. It has been pointed out that Télam has an overstaffing issue, with specific cases of employees who do not work but still receive their salaries, colloquially known as "ñoquis" in Argentine public employment jargon.

Furthermore, it has been alleged that the agency is controlled by unions with a thuggish attitude, who with the complicity of politically aligned boards have distorted the objectivity that a press medium should have. These allegations have been brought before the courts and have also been addressed in journalistic articles by former agency members and by Pablo Pla, a member of the ABC Mundial staff.

The decision to close Télam has sparked debate and controversy in the Argentine political and media spheres. It is expected that this measure will be further discussed in the coming days, as President Milei continues to implement significant changes in the country's media landscape.

For more information on the topic, please visit the following links:

Video of harassment and intimidation of Pablo Pla and Raúl Zapata at Télam Agency

Dismissals due to ideological issues in Alberto Fernández's administration (2022)

Télam is managed as if it were a partisan factory (2022)

Harassment at Télam (2022)

In addition to the closure of Télam, Milei announced the implementation of a protocol aimed at restricting the use of private planes by politicians for personal matters. He strongly criticized the use of medical planes for this purpose and assured that he and his team are committed to traveling on commercial flights.

"In the coming days, the National Civil Aviation Administration will establish a new regulatory criterion so that no politician or their relatives can use private planes, except for strictly official matters," Milei explained.

Furthermore, the President announced the implementation of measures to eliminate unjustified privileges in the public sphere. From now on, no official traveling with a ticket paid for by public agencies will be able to accumulate miles for personal trips, as announced by Milei.

This speech is part of a series of announcements aimed at deep reforms in various areas, such as the President's privileged retirement system, labor laws, and the role of unions. Milei assured that he will send to Congress a package of anti-caste laws to carry out these reforms.