Clarín

Clarín is the broadest circulation newspaper in Argentina and is the bedrock of Grupo Clarín, the country’s main multimedia group. It was founded in August 1945 by politician Roberto Noble under the slogan “Un toque de atención para la solución argentina de los problemas argentinos” (Some insight on the Argentinian solution to the Argentinian problems). With a tabloid format that differentiated it from its main competitors, Clarín aimed at reaching the masses with an agile and modern product.

The newspaper changed its editorial line according to the different governments in office, both democratic and dictatorships, obtaining benefits that helped it consolidate overtime. During Juan Domingo Perón’s administration (1946–1955), Clarín expanded its classified ads business after the expropriation of newspaper La Prensa. During Arturo Frondizi’s administration (1958–1962), the newspaper adopted the president’s ideals and received a loan to buy a building for its printing presses and editorial offices. The relationship would last for several years and former officials of Frondizi’s government would hold powerful positions in the newspaper.

After Noble’s death in 1969, the newspaper’s management was overtaken by Noble’s wife, Ernestina Herrera, to whom he married two years before dying.

The 1976 coup and the last dictatorship in the country were an inflection point for the newspaper. The coup was welcomed by Clarín. During the last dictatorship, it gained control of its basic raw material by purchasing newsprint factory Papel Prensa (together with Argentina’s National State and newspapers La Nacion and La Razón). The factory’s owners accepted to sell Papel Prensa under a lot of pressure and threats, which were later materialized when they were kidnapped and tortured in clandestine centers.

In addition, thanks to the Editor-In-Chief Marcos Cytrynblum’s work, Clarín became the broadest circulation newspaper during the 1978 World Cup. It put special emphasis on the sport, tabloid and current affairs sections.

Once the military dictatorship was over, Héctor Magnetto began to play a more prominent role and turned the newspaper into the most powerful multimedia group in Argentina. He is the group’s CEO. First, the newspaper purchased Radio Mitre (1985) and Canal 13 (1989). Then, it expanded to cable TV with the purchase of Multicanal (1992), which later merged with Cablevisión (2007). Finally, Cablevisión merged with telephone company Telecom (2018), thus rounding out the group’s presence in the telecoms sector.

Since 2009, Magnetto opposed Cristina Fernández’s administration in an unprecedented economic and political conflict. The conflict made the newspaper adopt an editorial line opposite to Cristina Fernández’s administration and practice what one of the newspaper’s editors described as “war journalism”.