Journalist Jorge Lanata died, this Monday, aged 64, after spending six months in hospital. He was for a long time the most influential and award-winning Argentine journalist since the return of democracy in the country in 1983. Lanata led teams of investigative reporters during the 1990s, under the government of former president Carlos Menem, and, mainly during Kirchnerismo , when I already had television programs.
His investigations resulted in the arrest of several people involved in corruption scandals in the country. The covers of the newspaper Página 12, which he founded in 1987, when he was 26 years old, were a reflection of his creativity and used to have a strong impact. For example, when it reported on the fiscal deficit in the budget and exposed a hole (literally a hole in the paper publication, which challenged the reader to read what was written). His colleagues on the trajectory define him as “creative”, “bold” and “authentic”.
As Clarín columnist in Spanish, Osvaldo Pepe, recalls, Lanata was defined as such in the book “Lanata/Secrets, virtues and sins of the most loved and most hated journalist in Argentina” (original title: “Lanata/Secretos, virtues y sins of the journalist most loved and most hated in Argentina”): “He was almost a child prodigy. (…). He founded two newspapers and five magazines. He conducted radio and television programs. Made a film. He worked as an actor in films and music videos. He published eight books. He was accused of plagiarism several times. He won several awards. He had to sell watches to pay off debts and still continues to spend more than he has… He has fought with almost every president since the return of democracy. He consumed as much cocaine as possible until his body and soul imposed a limit on him. He swore he would never work at the Clarín newspaper. But he ended up becoming a star journalist for Grupo Clarín.”
The definitions are from journalist Luis Majul, author of the book about Lanata. But it was in his autobiography, released when he was 56 years old, that he made revelations that made news in the country.
“I’m adopted and I only found out when I was 55.” Lanata entered journalism while still at school. A hard smoker, he was married three times, had two daughters, Bárbara and Lola, and had several health problems in recent years. Eight years ago, he underwent a kidney transplant that was defined as successful. But due to other health problems he tossed and turned and was hospitalized again. This time, the hospitalization was longer. Today, many mourn his departure.