The journalists' forum spoke of 'institutional gravity' and supported fake news and media operations
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The creation of the Official Response Office by the government of Javier Milei caused strong rejection from the Argentine Journalism Forum (FOPEA), which criticized the initiative and came out to defend the circulation of fake news and media operations.
The new body was announced on February 5, 2026 with the explicit objective of combating disinformation and actively debunking fake news driven by media outlets or opposition sectors.
Milei government's initiative
According to the government, the Official Response Office was created as a tool to confront a scenario in which the spread of false information became more intense after the official decision to cut off state funding to media outlets and activists disguised as journalists.
In the creation statement, the libertarian administration was clear regarding the meaning of the measure: “The Official Response Office of the Argentine Republic was created to actively debunk lies, point out specific falsehoods, and expose the operations of the media and the political caste. Because simply "informing" is not enough if disinformation advances without a response”.
El comunicado del Gobierno.
The Executive Branch emphasized that the initiative doesn't imply censorship or control of information, but rather the opposite. “We are going to combat disinformation by providing more information, the exact opposite of what political sectors linked to the left do when they govern, where they seek to censor opponents both in traditional media and on social networks”, the official text states.
In the same vein, the statement underlines: “This decision is forceful: we are adding an official voice to debunk operations, the opposite of censorship. The right to freedom of expression is sacred for this administration”.
The government also contextualized the creation of the Office within the framework of the end of official advertising and the withdrawal of the state from the funding of “narratives”. “From day one, this government decided to stop funding narratives with official advertising and to sustain structures that confused journalism with political business. Since then, lies have become louder”, the text argues.
FOPEA defends fake news
In contrast, FOPEA released a statement in which it expressed its “deep concern and rejection” of the creation of the Office, focusing especially on its presence on the social network X. The Forum questioned the stated objective of “actively debunking lies” and “exposing operations”, and stated: “We warn about the institutional gravity implied by setting up from the state a "truth tribunal"”.
El comunicado de FOPEA.
With this stance, the left-wing entity positioned itself openly against a state tool aimed at exposing false information, aligning itself with the defense of disinformation and media operations.
From the government, meanwhile, officials made it clear that the Office “doesn't seek to convince or impose a viewpoint”, but rather “aims for citizens to be able to distinguish facts from operations and data from narratives”.
The statement concludes with a forceful political definition: “Democracy is not strengthened when lies are tolerated, but when they are exposed. The Official Response Office exists for that: so that disinformation doesn't go unanswered and so that truth once again becomes information”.
