'Today I'm freer': Tomás Díaz Cueto broke his silence after his dismissal from LN+

Tomás Díaz Cueto was dismissed from La Nación+  and spoke with the program LAM  in an interview. The reporter stated that his departure was unexpected and that he couldn't link it to the video he posted on his personal social media, where he celebrated with champagne the upheld conviction against Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

According to Díaz Cueto, the channel had never expressed any objections to his work.  On the contrary, he claimed to have received congratulations for his coverage in live reports such as those in Bahía Blanca or in the morning shows. However, after the video was published, the company decided to terminate his services.

"It was surprising, I was very happy with my job"

The reporter recounted that he was summoned by his superiors at 10 a.m. on Thursday and that there he was informed of his dismissal. "I didn't expect it. I was happy with what I was doing," he stated. He assured that he fulfilled his duties, that he produced stories on his own initiative and caused unique content for the channel.

Despite the surprise, he tried to maintain a reflective outlook on what happened:  "Now I'm trying to understand what happened. It's going to take a couple of days to sort out my thoughts."

Díaz Cueto also stated that, up to that point, he believed he was meeting all professional expectations.  "I produced the live reports, looked for topics, did more than just reporting. It hurts not to understand the reason," he emphasized.

"The video was naive; I posted it from a personal place"

The focus of the controversy was a video in which he is seen opening a bottle of champagne after the conviction against Cristina Kirchner was upheld. In it, Díaz Cueto celebrated what he considered "a historic day" and expressed: "I waited 17 years for this ruling. Let all the corrupt go to jail, not just Cristina."

When asked by LAM, he explained that he did it from a personal experience:  "My family had a very hard time during the Kirchner administration. Before and after, we were fine. I did it like so many other colleagues, naively."

The journalist defended his right to express himself on social media:  "They're my social media accounts, it's something I've been doing for years. I don't understand why this caused so much." He added that he didn't intend to hurt anyone, but rather to express himself sincerely: "I try to be myself. I am grateful to have been part of La Nación Más."

"Today I'm freer, although I don't know why I was fired"

During the conversation, he also referred to rumors about internal discomfort over his posts. He said he had never had conflicts with colleagues and expressed his pain at not having received direct complaints:  "If someone was bothered, I would've liked them to tell me. I have principles."

The channel, according to what he said, told him that his libertarian profile didn't fit the current context:  "They told me the streets are very tense and that this discourse is dangerous. But I've never had problems on the street."

Finally, he concluded with a phrase that sums up his state of mind:  "Today I'm freer. If that was the reason, now I no longer have that limit. But I don't know what the real reason for the dismissal was."

Aware of the stir his video caused, Díaz Cueto reaffirmed his position:  "If it bothers you that someone celebrates with champagne, but it doesn't bother you that Cristina was convicted, I don't know what to tell you."