Today, June 7, Journalist’s Day is celebrated in Argentina in tribute to the founding of “La Gazeta de Buenos Ayres”, the country’s first national newspaper, created by Mariano Moreno in 1810, which played a crucial role in the struggle for independence and the dissemination of revolutionary ideas.
The Gazeta de Buenos Ayres, whose first issue was printed on June 7, 1810, emerged as an organ for disseminating the ideas of the First Government Board, which decreed this new medium nine days after its creation and announced to Manuel Alberti as the editor. Mariano Moreno, Manuel Belgrano and Juan José Castelli also worked there.
Most of the copies were created by Mariano Moreno, while Alberti, who played a fundamental role in the edition of this newspaper, did not usually sign his contributions to the newspaper.
In the first issue of the publication, Moreno stated:
“The people have the right to know the conduct of their representatives, and their honor is interested in everyone knowing the execration with which they regard those reservations and mysteries invented by power to cover their crimes. The people should not be content with their bosses do well, they must aspire to never do wrong. To achieve such just wishes, the Board has resolved that a new weekly newspaper be published with the title of Gazeta de Buenos Ayres.”
This newspaper was printed in Buenos Aires until September 1821, when Bernardino Rivadavia, Minister of Government and Foreign Affairs, decided to replace it with the Official Registry.
It was in 1938, during the First National Congress of Journalists held in the province of Córdoba, when June 7 was established, a special date to commemorate Journalist’s Day. In that same congress, the first writings of the Professional Statute (Law 12,908) were drafted, which would be sanctioned in 1944 by the National Congress.
Journalism in Argentina has evolved significantly since those days, adapting to technological and social changes.
On this day, we salute all those journalists who reject the incentives of power and play a fundamental role by supporting freedom of the press, informing, investigating and denouncing events of public interest.
