Between 1999, when Hugo Chávez first became President of Venezuela, and June 2012, the country's television and radio stations have been forced to broadcast 2,334 president speeches, amounting to a total of 97,561 minutes of broadcasting.
The international organizations Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the Journalists' Rights House in Mexico called on Mexican authorities to investigate missing journalists.
A Brazilian journalist and photographer from the newspaper O Globo were threatened on July 23 by the mayor of the city of Redenção (in the state of Pará), Wagner Montes, who is also the candidate for reelection in 2012, reported O Globo.
A Colombian journalist went missing mid-day Tuesday, July 24, after being held by members of an illegally armed group in the department of Arauca, located in northeast Colombia, on the border with Venezuela.
A Mexican journalist held in prison started a hunger strike on the night of Wednesday, July 25, protesting against her transfer to a psychiatric clinic, reported the newspaper El Universal.
A Mexican photojournalist from Veracruz, Mexico, has been reported missing for a week, reported the news Agencia Proceso.
Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez reported through her Twitter account that seven people, among them journalists and dissidents, were arrested during the funeral of activist Oswaldo Payá on Tuesday, July 24.
A Brazilian bodyguard for José Serra, mayoral candidate in São Paulo, attacked a radio journalist during a press conference that took place on Tuesday, July 24, reported the news portal Terra.
A Honduran candidate complained that a mayor that is running for reelection closed news media outlets to prevent opposing candidates from expressing themselves, according to the organization Committee for Freedom of Expression in Honduras (C-Libre).
On Sunday, July 29, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo will launch a new design for its printed edition, to commemorate 87 years of publishing, reported the news site Jornalistas na Web.
A chamber of the Peruvian Supreme Court decided to reduce the sentences of many members of the death squad, known as Grupo Colina that was active during the 90s in Peru, nullifying sentences for crimes against humanity in several cases, including the killing of journalist Pedro Yauri.
The Latin American Union of News Agencies (ULAN in Spanish) accused private news media outlets of provoking "small coups" in Latin America and also withdrew membership from the Paraguayan Information state news agency.