Hondurans will head to the polls on Nov. 30, but for journalists, it’s not election day coverage as usual. To prepare, they are buying bulletproof vests and helmets, and forming alliances to make sure their reporting gets out.
Voting and reporting are happening during a state of exception that has been extended at least 19 times since it was initially declared in December 2022. Under it, various rights are suspended, including freedom of movement and warrants for searches and arrests.
Additionally, Congress is in disarray, electoral authorities’ legitimacy is in question and the Armed Forces – which called journalists “assassins of the truth” – is gaining ground.
Against this backdrop, the climate of hostility toward the press has led international and national organizations to raise concerns about the situation throughout most of 2025.
On Oct. 30, an International Freedom of Expression Mission in Honduras, comprised of seven organizations including Reporters Without Borders (RSF, for its initials in French), warned about the risks faced by the press during the election period.
More recently, at least 29 organizations signed a statement from the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) in which, in addition to listing violations of journalistic work, they urged the State to guarantee the press’ work during election day.
"There is a pattern of harassment that includes judicial harassment, digital surveillance, administrative pressure against media outlets and journalists, and stigmatization from high-ranking military officials," Carlos Lauría, executive director of the IAPA, told LatAm Journalism Review (LJR). "This is happening…at a time when citizens need independent information to make fundamental decisions about their lives."
These situations, which put journalists at greater risk, may be leading them to self-censorship, Lauría said.
"The first problem preventing us from having free elections in this country and from having the freedom to do our jobs is that we are in a prolonged state of exception, irregularly imposed by President Xiomara Castro, without a Congress meeting in full session to either repeal or accept this extension,” Jennifer Ávila, editorial director of the media outlet Contracorriente, told LJR. “So Honduras is going through an electoral process with the suspension of constitutional guarantees.”
The state of exception was initially declared to combat violence, particularly crimes such as extortion, contract killings and kidnapping, but various organizations have questioned its achievements due to increasing reports of human rights violations.
The presence of military checkpoints in major cities, which affect movement of activists and members of the opposition, are common in the country, Ávila said.
Added to this is the chaos of a scandal-ridden Congress.
Throughout 2025, Congress has met intermittently due to a lack of agreement between political parties, a situation made worse by a scandal involving millions of lempiras allegedly distributed among pro-government deputies. Without the ability to meet in full session, the state of exception cannot be lifted.
Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking to prosecute members of the Electoral Court, as well as the opposition representative to the National Electoral Council.
Another concern arose with the special mandate Castro granted to the Armed Forces to specifically safeguard the results of the presidential ballot.
“We don't know what it might mean, especially when it comes to accessing polling stations, whether they will be militarized,” Ávila said. “According to the President's mandate, that's what's going to happen, but we'll only know for sure on election day.”
The role of the Armed Forces in increasing the hostile environment towards the press is one of the biggest concerns for organizations such as the IAPA and RSF.
The list of attacks on the press can be seen throughout 2025. One of these initial actions took place in February 2025 when Roosevelt Hernández, head of the Armed Forces, filed a series of lawsuits against 12 media outlets seeking to identify their journalistic sources. In March, Hernández announced a lawsuit against a journalist from Q’Hubo TV.
Added to this are stigmatizing public statements or those published in the official newspaper of the Armed Forces.
In a ceremony in June, Hernández accused media outlets and journalists of having “a false and criminal media narrative, by lying and distorting.”
The official newspaper has published articles about the press with headlines such as “Organized crime, determined to damage the image of the Armed Forces due to crackdowns on drug trafficking” and “El Heraldo continues its campaign of lies against the Armed Forces.” They have also referred to specific journalists as “traitors” or "assassins of the truth.” Later, banners appeared in the streets of Tegucigalpa with the phrase “assassins of the truth” and the images of several journalists and media outlets in the country.
“It is unacceptable,” Lauría said.
Along the same lines, Artur Romeu, RSF's Latin America director, told LJR, “There's a perception among journalists that throughout the year the Armed Forces have joined a war effort against the press.”
“In a state of exception, the fact that the Armed Forces are so openly anti-press puts journalists and reporters who are out in the field trying to cover the situation in greater danger,” Ávila said.
Given this situation, media outlets like Contacorriente have already prepared security measures for reporting next Sunday. Although Ávila prefers not to give many details, she said part of the protection comes from alliances and unity.
For example, Contracorriente will form alliances with community media outlets, especially radio stations, whose members, in turn, feel protected under the umbrella of a national media organization. Measures have also been taken to safeguard the whereabouts of certain journalists, and the media outlet will maintain contact with international organizations.
Jorge Burgos, editor in chief of the digital native media outlet Criterio.hn, told LJR that the team is also preparing for election day. Criterio has been the target of various attacks, ranging from attempts to expose its sources to smear campaigns and cyberattacks.
“Yes, I am aware that many media outlets have been buying bulletproof vests and bulletproof helmets because they fear something might happen,” Burgos said.
Criterio also invested in these items, although not for all team members due to a lack of resources, Burgos said. The lack of funding has also prevented Criterio from acquiring additional vehicles that would allow them to be present at different polling locations and that would also be safer.
“My car is already very well known,” Burgos said.
For RSF and IAPA, international attention will be vital in helping to cover the election with transparency, and according to Romeu may prevent authorities from using criticism of the press as part of its electoral strategy.
“International pressure and scrutiny can be one of the few effective counterweights,” Lauría said.
