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Press Freedom

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Venezuela has freed jailed journalists, but some say the amnesty serves the regime

After three months in prison, journalism student Omario Castellanos was released along with dozens of other journalists. Activists say Venezuela’s new amnesty law buries evidence of repression instead of addressing it.

Parchment with "La Ley de Imprenta" inscribed on it and the other half of the screen is a keyboard with a pen on it

Costa Rica repeals arrest for defamation, but media advocates say reform falls short

Lawmakers voted to eliminate arrest penalties from a century-old press law, but some journalists remain saddled with complaints and fines. “Legally, I’m as good as dead,” one said.

Flag of Cuba behind a cellphone with a page inaccesible message on it

Blocking of media outlet El Toque further reduces information access in Cuba

The already limited media landscape on the island is restricted by the blocking of websites deemed critical of the government. The absence of El Toque’s site also affects those seeking to know the price of the dollar.

Man in black suit and tie stands amid reporters in elevator

Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora released to house arrest for second time

The director of former newspaper elPeriódico faces multiple criminal charges in cases international and national organizations criticize as flawed and politically motivated.

A group of youn women with sign in Spanish "Stop the harassment"

Court rulings vindicate Paraguayan women journalists who spoke out against abuse

Three recent decisions tied to one media conglomerate uphold claims from women forced out after reporting sexual misconduct, underscoring the pervasiveness of newsroom harassment and the cost of defiance.

As Venezuela frees journalists, detention of one editor underscores ongoing press crackdown

Rory Branker, an editor at online outlet La Patilla, has been detained for nearly a year, transferred without notice and never brought before court. He is among at least five press workers still held.

After Maduro’s ouster, Venezuela’s press braces for renewed repression

As Venezuela enters an unpredictable new period, reporters covering events on the ground face detention, seizures of equipment and pressure to erase their work.

Collage of plane, notebook, light bulb, podcast equipment, laptop, chart, gavel barbed wire over a digitized map of Latin America

The most important stories of 2025, according to LJR

Journalists across Latin America face mounting pressure but persist. This year’s top stories show reporters forced into exile, resisting authoritarian smears, teaching media literacy and exposing multimillion-dollar fraud.

Illustration of journalists at work

Central American journalists discuss reporting and resistance amid democratic backsliding

During a recent webinar, journalists and scholars from northern Central America describe the threats and violence they face at home. For some, it’s led to exile, but not to giving up.

As Honduras heads to the polls, its reporters prepare for a dangerous assignment

With the military casting suspicion on the press and pushing to unmask sources, local journalists are turning to one another — and to bulletproof vests — to ensure they can cover their country’s elections.

Four people on screens

VIDEO: Exiled journalists from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Venezuela confront entrenched authoritarianism

The founders of Revista Factum, Efecto Cocuyo and Confidencial continue to document their governments’ repression. In a Knight Center panel, they explain why continuing their work from abroad is essential.

Collage of Mexican investigative journalism projects covers over a background of newspaper pages.

How violence, hostile rhetoric and economic precarity undercut Mexico's watchdog press

Historian Andrew Paxman’s new book traces the evolution of Mexico’s critical press — from its emergence in the 1990s to the political, criminal and financial pressures that now threaten it.