The protest by the yerba mate producers has taken a controversial turn in recent days, with the appearance of a WhatsApp group called "Impulso Yerbatero."
In this space, where producers, political leaders (mostly Kirchnerists), and journalists participate, various actions have been organized to pressure the National Government in the context of the conflict over the price of yerba mate and the deregulations of the sector.
Martín Boerr, the journalist behind the public shaming
One of the protagonists of this movement is Martín Boerr, correspondent for La Nación in Misiones and editor of the digital portal "Plan B Misiones." Boerr, who is known in the province for operating with critical notes against the provincial government and the administration of La Libertad Avanza, has been pointed out for sharing national officials' numbers within the WhatsApp group to incite public shaming.
In the chat screenshots of "Impulso Yerbatero" one can read how Boerr encourages participants to harass Sergio Iraeta, Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries, and other officials like Federico Sturzenegger with messages and calls until "forcing them to change their cell phone once a week." This type of action, far from being framed in legitimate journalistic practice, exposes a behavior of harassment that questions the correspondent's ethics.
His connection with La Nación and his career
Martín Boerr is not an unknown journalist. According to his biography published in La Nación, he studied Communication at Universidad Austral and was part of the first graduating class in 1995. He began his career at the newspaper as an intern, then worked in the Economy section until 1998 and later moved to Misiones, where he settled permanently.
