Sand Table Blueprints

In support of the people and the constitutional government of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras


Victor Hugo Morales is a journalist in recent times is on everyone's lips. He works at a radio belonging to a multimedia but saber and sword defends the Media Law. Reflections, anecdotes and thoughts of one of the leaders of Argentine journalism.




For Bilotti, Ignacio and Agustin Gamero

were 18 hours and a little sun hid behind the tall buildings of Buenos Aires. The exact location puts us in Rivadavia Street between Suipacha and Esmeralda 864
The warm hall of Radio Continental found us sitting in chairs as we talked with the security guard, which had become almost a friend.
The clock is stopped, two eyes together in a gesture of resignation, it seemed that the fifth was not going to be the charm. Suddenly the door opens and he enters with his characteristic style (dark blue jacket, jean tone and blue striped shirt.) With a smile greets those who were there. Then goes to us and says "guys" came for the interview, no? "To which we responded in unison" yes Victor Hugo. " His proposal was: "Do you think at 20 after the program?"

already in the studio in the gallery y con todo el equipo periodístico de su programa “Competencia” en acción, admiramos su capacidad profesional y confirmamos su excelente labor detrás del micrófono. La hora pasó volando, Víctor Hugo se paró y nuevamente dirigiéndose a nosotros dijo “vamos chicos”. El grabador en marcha, sentados junto a él en la puerta del estudio, había gente merodeando y hablando, la primera pregunta estaba por hacerse y Moráles sin sutilezas gritó: “silencio que se graba”. Así comenzó la entrevista…

Hace aproximadamente 20 años, se te veía como un relator de fútbol o un periodista deportivo. Creemos que cambió esta vision and today you're a current reference of journalism and politics, and one could say that an intellectual. What do you think about this?
- (taking the chin, smiles and sincerity wins) No, not an intellectual, it would be disrespectful to those who have done a course of studies, deepening knowledge of philosophy, literature, science for what we call an intellectual. An intellectual is a man who lives deep in the ocean, I am the foam of a wave compared to that.
What did I have is a cultural famine, a major concern, lifelong curiosity, a concern to learn more and improve. This has been a kind of axis of my life. In this framework, a willingness to accept every opportunity that I have been offering to secure this growth, and when they have occasion, one was in the year 91, almost twenty years ago, and another was now to make a program of interest general radio. I have done and every time it happened to myself with other television programs like "The Mirror", "Night least expect," or information in which I participated or not because that information was a column of sports programs newspaper in which I have been driving. In the year 91 and 92 was also in America. Whenever something came up so I accepted gladly, and Uruguay also outside the sport as long as I turned to other activities. So ... we can say that you like challenges and not get bogged down in a particular activity

I do not think in those terms, things come to mind, I pass I do not get anything. I never said "wow" I'll see if I have a news program for improvement. Came the possibility of a news program, I liked it because it is seen that there is a restlessness in me, and in some cases they have been a lot of notoriety, for what is happening in journalism in Argentina. However, at other times I went a little unnoticed as when it was "The Mirror" on television, but television was less in the spotlight was now doing radio.

from these changes that took place What changed in your life, personal, professional and on the street?

more young people I know of which I probably would know if I had devoted only to relate football, because football is very attractive now on the side of the television rather than radio, radio is a service, listening much yet but there is this fascination with the past. So guys I'm about a generation that neither had heard that I exist in football. I have the feeling of being more noticeable, strange because I once thought the same of me, to me it seemed that everyone knew me somehow, but now that's a certainty far greater still. There is a much more continuous exposure and that brings suppose to be more noticed, people who are in favor of what you do and say, and well I have my enemies, I have people who do not want me and I have my fans and people I esteem a generational difference. My generation is more angry with me and I think young people are more excited about my speech.


many years ago are working on Radio Continental, which belongs to a multimedia, and taking into account your position in favor of the Media Law, How do you live that situation?

I have missed I have not been any complaints, I suppose, better than expected, was not liked my position, but I have banks well, I have no complaints in that regard. Never tried to make me see that even something that could have tried: I was wrong in what he said. That could have discussed the issue but I continue saying what he thought and what he believed. They could have tried to convince me but never tried. Nothing ever happened, I recognized in this regard in relation to the company.

In our mind about this, so much talk about objectivity in journalism and we believe you maintain objectivity about your posture and your views on the aspects of reality ...

- (sighs, and reflectively) I think a journalist should always keep that philosophy, if I was against media law , which is what you want the radio where I work, which would probably be to say that I abstain, I do not want to talk making others believe I do because I belong to the company. I should abstain completely. (He pauses as if remembering) A remarkable thing happened to me in that direction but nothing like as not, is that I before the group Prisa and El Pais of Spain bought the radio I was an avid reader of Country constantly talking about the country as the best English-language diary. The same day the group bought this radio almost'd say I have not appointed more than three times over the years, because I'm inhibited, I feel a little shame, shame, the possibility that someone thinks I'm pimping to the company. About this expression would become very academic (laughter). Never
an opinion must be contaminated by an interest or supposed interest as you can, this has to be on your conscience, must be in your head, because others can be attributed to a wrong question is what moves you to say in certain ways, but mainly in your awareness of things have to be very clear about why you give an opinion. The opinions if they have no risk if they are in favor of the current, the current mostly to you for you, not opinions, accompanying the pattern. Like I said, if I was against the media law, and I know that this radio does not suit the media law to this company, what I do is, as the company's interest that the media law do not go as I am against the media law, despite that I'm going to refrain from speaking. I would not, that is, if I agree with the company on that and if I disagree and say what I think radio has to bancar me.

In this connection also, and credibility is so important for journalists What impact do you think that public opinion was in your position in favor of the law? Very gravitating

huge impact for me, much contempt for a social sector and many accession of another, as I said, a bit divided by generations, but also by social class. The middle class, almost upper and upper middle class are in high dudgeon.

"you refer to the most conservative sectors of society?

more conservative sectors and to which I belong perhaps more. They feel betrayed, there is a kind of treason of classes that I have committed because I partnered on the image and fantasy of them a government of popular, leftist in nature and has generated a love or hate in the population. Then the same hatred that the government intended it to anyone who intended to work with some agreement.

This social polarization is always the case in U.S. history What do you think of what happens now?

never seen anything like it. Since the media law to the media here jarred the country, you thought that when he appeared as Private Pension Funds and I agreed with the government after the field as we came and went unnoticed. I mentioned AFJPs the harsh, I was very much in favor of the government in the nationalization, but there was this crazy. Madness occurs because people threw the media threw up this awful dichotomy in which we are living during this time. Without a doubt, are means with their interests, economic interests defended quasi mafia in some cases and codes directly from mobsters by others as Clarín.

At what time did you aware of the power of multimedia groups in Argentina?

(He pulls back and looks up) many years ago. Multimedia always bothered me but never been more insidious. I do not like working for a multimedia because the worker has his head together, you get a mic on television, turn on the radio and a column in the newspaper, you pay for three things a salary that is a little better than would a single wage, which would mean a single salary. And as a worker on that side do not really like, I like it because, well, get a person to take three places, when in reality if it were a multimedia there are three persons to fill these different places. On this side do not like, on the other hand, I understand that is inevitable in a newspaper who is eager to have a radio and who has a diary and a desire to have a radio channel thus this forms a multimedia. If that is the limit, well, that's the limit.
When this radio may have the ten-spoke, which could be fifty because now the effect of media law, why not buy more radios? But we are talking about the fact that every radio that's out there by typing can buy, they were ten radios. When you work in a group of ten radios at the time in which an operator myself I opened the tap for me to speak, is doing for another nine, and I speak nine other journalists who can not speak, and that movilero talk me out of the nine movileros not working in the rest of the country, and so on. Multiplicas y te encontrás con que una radio no puede funcionar decorosamente con menos de veinticinco personas por más chica que sea y funciona en estos momentos con una que levanta una perilla o con dos. Este grupo, y no lo digo con maldad para el grupo, es una realidad que, según como yo la veo, mínimanente está dejando trescientas personas fuera de trabajo.

¿Cuáles creés que fueron los factores que favorecieron a la consolidación de estos grandes grupos multimedíáticos en el país?

Es un intento de un medio poderoso de España que se fue desparramando por América, que ha tenido la intención de posicionarse para captar más poder y seguramente más dinero. Es una for-profit company (referring to the group PRISA). There is also the fact that when you're very strong in half if you can go shopping somewhere else and you'll want to do strong in another way, a challenge that you set by them. Employers also have sometimes this spirit of adventure.
Well, you have a law that permitted, the amendments made to the law of the dictatorship were those that enabled such Clarin, especially since he had the football and that could form the immense power he has in these time because there was no law preventing it. Enough the sword of Damocles of the Media Law for this group ejemplo deje de comprar radios. En dos años ya habían comprado diez, es como que de alguna manera le puso un dique.

A partir de la reglamentación de la Ley de Medios ¿cómo creés que se va a conformar el nuevo mapa mediático en Argentina?

Y…con mucho más trabajo. Mirá mañana voy a hacer una nota, me acaban de entregar una noticia en la provincia ya hay veinte canales más. Son veinte fuentes de trabajo, fuentes de expresión, diversidad de información, vamos a ver después cuánto se puede sostener ciertamente. No es que esto es entrar al paraíso, es entrar a un mundo posible mejor.

En relación al Fútbol Para Todos también tenés a very favorable position what can you tell me that?

posture favorable, very favorable. Football for all is a blessing. Extraordinary. A marvel, an act of justice, a matter appropriate. This is to terminate the thieves who had stolen with the complicity of Grondona and return to the people what they took, which was not even noticed. Note that for years the football was kidnapped and people living normally. You took something that you never knew you could be yours. With the same money, I think that is paid with the money previously spent on conventional advertising, a portion of that money. I advocate that if one day the governments say "no silver but advertising is advertising money, football is football supporter I would also pay it because it is an immense amount of good for people to have a membership as that means football and its freely available. This distributed to all and not given to those who can simply pay the tortuous relationship capitalism dictate to everyone. You can pay for if you consumerism, if you can not pay fuck. Fuck no, jorobate (corrected and seems ashamed of his outburst.)

just mentioned the President of the AFA, what can you tell me Julio Grondona as a person and leader?


No ... (she of repudiation) is a person impresentable Grondona forever. Indefensible even If I did the last years of his life in favor of ethics and good habits. Has no way to recover that in recent years, at least compared to my small way of seeing things, you do not see an image you feel like clapping, even minimally.

current Politically, what do you think about the opposition and its position of opposing everything the government proposes?

The attitude of politicians in general and the handling of the opposition is unfortunate, so unfortunate that none of them with the tremendous publicity of years of mutual service, mutual aid, of great journalism neither country has been up and running as strong candidate. None fills the coupon. And this is the demonstration that had been greatly mistaken thought that being vulgar and Magnetto pimps and Clarín power would be able to build your career, some are destroying and not realize it.

measures being taken by the government, of which we are speaking, depending on your point of view ... would you play for or against ahead of elections next year?

I think society was welcomed as equal marriage but does not influence votes. I think the media law has played against, because it increased the madness unleashed the multimedia to defend their interests and the government has put him repeatedly in a place where it seems a "throw it to the doll." Have fostered a formidable hatred in people, or whether the media law is certainly an act of great political courage.

Do you think that the multimedia monopolies are today are the fourth power in Argentina or in which hierarchy would place?

(is quick to respond with conviction) No, they are more powerful. At this moment the first power, the government is the second. I do not know whether the second. First the media, after all the corporations that own the media as accomplices, are therefore higher. Third is the government, that is, third is what we call people and not because the government is the people, but because being so little strong government interest in that game that are more susceptible is the people. Vos

lately you have a position in many cases favorable to the government and when you have to praise you do it, but yet not lose your critical view ...

I'm not militant, I see with good eyes government stuff and I reserve critical for other aspects, although in recent times it happens very often that the government is moving on issues that I've always wanted to be part of government activity. For example, now goes to the law decriminalization of abortion, out of the trap that got to the track glaciers, has solved the problem with the law passed last night.

Do you feel that you are used by official media as "6, 7, 8" using your positions in favor but when critics do not show? How can you take?

I think it's understandable. I understand, they have one hour, four or five times a week, not how many times will the program. And they want to counterbalance the dominant journalism. If they lose time from their place dealing with the criticism that they want to unlock to discuss the media, say daggers are stuck and I understand, is not ideal for me. A bit of damage I've done, because people who see "6, 7, 8" and do not listen to my program is thinking that I am that out there. But I understand I'm not angry about it, I think they have a cause and they have to fight with all the tools possible. Well if my tool serves only at the stages I have not taken much to say.

Finally, I ask you to reflect on journalism ... What does it mean to you?

in many ways is education, public prosecutor, acting on behalf of the people is to get collaboration through culture, education, the correct information of ethics and aesthetics of a better society. Radio in particular is the wonderful struggle of one's imagination stimulating the imagination of others, but that's not for radio and journalism.

The interview ends, Victor Hugo with the warmth that characterizes it stands up and says goodbye.

The driver is waiting on the sidewalk, they will go to a performance at the Teatro Colon and our last contact in the street, is a greeting and an eternal gratitude.