Media: According to Freedom House 2010, the Argentinean government occasionally restricts press freedom, despite freedom of press and of media being protected under the Constitution (Article 14). In 2008, a ruling by the Supreme Court asserted the press's right to criticise government officials, and libel was decriminalised in 2009. However, journalists can still face fines if they are found to engage in wilful slander. Nonetheless that, the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010 reports that independent journalists are still verbally mistreated by officials and funds for state advertising are used to reward media considered friendly towards the government. According to another report from Freedom House 2010, in May 2009, five private media companies were offered to have their tax debts cancelled by President Cristina Kirchner, in return for portraying the Kirchners in a positive light in advertisement campaigns. On the other hand, Argentina’s largest newspaper Clarin was raided by 200 tax agents in the same year after published a story alleging the improper allocation of a large subsidy by a government farm trade agency. Journalists and editors sometimes 'sell' their coverage in exchange for favours, gifts or money, as reported in Global Integrity 2007. Corruption can be a dangerous issue for journalists to report about. According to a 2008 article from Reporters Without Borders, the radio and newspaper journalist Juan Parada is now under police protection after he received several death threats for exposing corruption involving local court, police and municipal officials in the Neuquén province in May 2008. According to the US Department of State 2010, journalist Guillermo Gonzalez Del Castillo was arrested and beaten after having after he had criticised the former governor of Corrientes of alleged embezzlement of government advertising funds. According to Freedom House 2010, Argentina has one of the highest Internet usage rates in the region with about 30% of the population having access to the Internet. According to the same source, there were no new reports of restrictions on the Internet in 2009, expect from some search results being censored in order to protect celebrities’ privacy. The passage of a new broadcasting law in 2009, as recorded by Global Integrity 2010 report, has helped bolster the freedom of the media, however the report still questions the extent of the implementation of the law. Reporters Without Borders 2010 ranks Argentina ranks 47th out of 175 countries, while Freedom House 2010 ranks the country 100th out of 196 countries in relation to press freedom and describes the press environment as 'partly free'.

Civil Society: The Bertelsmann Foundation 2010 reports that Argentina has a moderate tradition of civil society, but characterises civil society in the country as broadly organised and highly differentiated. The rights to freedom of assembly and associations are generally respected by the government, although some continue to fall victim to the corruption that continues to pervade Argentina’s politics and economy. According to Freedom House 2010, NGOs play a significant role in society in overseeing government policies on various issues, and are occasionally invited to testify or comment on pending bills. Nevertheless, absence of legislative agendas and a lack of information have limited the capacity of NGOs to influence pending bills. Still, Global Integrity 2010 describes civil society organisations in Argentina as being 'very strong'.

Poder Ciudadano (in Spanish): Poder Ciudadano is the Argentinean chapter of Transparency International, and has undertaken studies of vulnerabilities in public procurement. As a result of a 'Transparency Agreement', Poder Ciudadano has been monitoring the bidding process for the local waste collection services contract in one municipality in 2008 with positive impact in terms of increased transparency and citizen participation (read more about the 'Transparency Agreement'). Poder Ciudadano has successfully influenced public opinion on the issue of corruption, but some of its critical publications have also led to criticism from the government. The organisation has supported the first 'Business Sector Agreement' in Argentina signed by nine water-pipe manufacturers, who have agreed to refrain from engaging in corruption and bribery - a kind of Integrity Pact. Poder Ciudadano has a whistleblower mechanism on its website and maintains a list of institutions that receive complaints about corruption (in Spanish). In September 2009, Poder Ciudadano launched the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC), to provide free legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption, according to a 2009 press release by Transparency International. Poder Ciudadano also publishes annual reports. Access the latest reports here.

Centro de Investigación y Prevención de la Criminalidad Económica (CIPCE, in Spanish) is an independent organisation dedicated to developing policies to prevent economic crimes. The agency investigates white collar crimes and has been involved in the exposure of a large scale corruption scandal related to the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in northern Argentina.