Monday 2 August 2010

Argentina: Honour for Journalist Robert Cox

British journalist Robert Cox, who worked for the Buenos Aires Herald, has - somewhat belatedly - received honorary citizenship of the Argentine capital in recognition of his brave work during the dictatorship.

Under military rule, the Buenos Aires Herald was one of the very few examples of independent journalism which reported the truth about the abductions, disappearances and extrajudicial executions which became features of everyday life. Media boss Jorge Fontevecchia, for one, credits Cox's reporting with saving his life after he was abducted and taken to El Olimpo. The writers of the English-language daily faced threats and Cox, fearing for the safety of his children, was eventually driven into exile.

Modestly, he claims that he was "just doing his job", but publishing lists of the dead in the early months of the dictatorship really was a bit more than that and he deserves this public acknowledgement.

Heroic British journalist Robert Cox honoured in Argentina (Guardian)

(For more, see this book by Robert Cox's son David, and this one by fellow Buenos Aires Herald journalist, Andrew Graham-Yooll)

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