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Press Freedom

A man in a suit and a woman in a blue dress wave to the crowds when being inaugurated as president and vice-president of Uruguay. A horse and soldier to the right and a man follows along on foot to the left.

The Astesiano case: How the press covered one of the most talked-about criminal cases of recent times in Uruguayan politics

Alejandro Astesiano was chief of security of the current President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, until he was arrested by the Police for leading an organization that falsified documents to obtain passports for Russian citizens. Very quickly, the Uruguayan press obtained the investigative folder of the case which contained more than a thousand Whatsapp chats by the accused.

collage with news items showing Ruben Zamora from Guatemala with white hair and other illustrations of censorship

José Rubén Zamora case: Guatemalan government's strategy to silence the press, according to experts

The arrest and court case of journalist José Rubén Zamora raises suspicions of a strategy by the Guatemalan government to silence the press and even political opponents in the midst of an electoral campaign flooded with allegations of corruption, according to analyses by journalists and human rights experts.

Soldiers with rifles in front of political prisoners at Chile's National Stadium in 1973

Exhibition 'Chile, 1973' presents the first days of the Pinochet dictatorship through the eyes of Brazilian photojournalist Evandro Teixeira

Exhibition in São Paulo presents previously unpublished photographs by Brazilian photojournalist Evandro Teixeira during the first days of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, among others. The exhibition prompts a reflection on the role of the press and photography in authoritarian contexts.

Rodrigo Chaves gives a speech gesturing with his hand at the World Economic Forum in Davos

'Scumbag press': Costa Rica's president employs populist rhetoric and uses institutions against journalism

In a series of unprecedented events in the 'Switzerland of Central America,' Rodrigo Chaves uses authoritarian rhetoric and the state apparatus to persecute independent media. Defenders of free speech and journalists believe democracy will survive, but see risks of violence.

Journalist Juan Lorenzo Holmann Chamorro, publisher of the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa with a background of the newspaper's building facade.

'I turned around and said goodbye to Nicaragua': Juan Lorenzo Holmann, publisher of La Prensa newspaper, talks about his release and exile

Juan Lorenzo Holmann, former general manager of the newspaper La Prensa, is convinced that the newspaper, which is under siege by Daniel Ortega's regime, will rise up as it has done at other times in its history. He also hopes to be reunited with his wife in Nicaragua, from where he was deported to the United States along with more than 200 political prisoners.

Nicaraguan journalist Miguel Mendoza posing outside a hotel in Washington D.C.

Nicaragua’s Miguel Mendoza on his bittersweet deportation from his ‘kidnapped’ country

Miguel Ángel Mendoza Urbina became a go-to source of information on social media on April 19, 2018, when anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua. Mendoza’s work led to his arrest on June 21, 2021. Less than two years later, on Feb. 9, 2023, Mendoza was among 222 political prisoners unexpectedly released by Nicaraguan authorities and deported to the United States.

looking glass focuses on the word spyware over a green letter background

Salvadoran journalists move forward with lawsuit in the U.S. against manufacturer of Pegasus spyware

Attorneys for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University are hopeful that Pegasus manufacturer NSO Group will be held accountable in their lawsuit on behalf of Salvadoran journalists. Reporters from the news site El Faro believe the suit will set an important precedent for the protection of journalists across the globe.

Headshots of eight Nicaraguan political prisoners who were released and sent to the United States.

Journalists imprisoned by the Ortega regime regain their freedom, but outside their homeland and with an uncertain future ahead of them

At least eight journalists, media entrepreneurs and journalism students were among the 222 political prisoners released and exiled to the United States, while Daniel Ortega's regime threatens to strip away their citizenship and rights as Nicaraguans.

Journalist in blue shirt and beanie is watched over by protesters in Brazil

Press freedom in Brazil: Two journalists talk about the intimidation they suffered while covering election results

Since Nov. 1, demonstrations by Bolsonaro supporters questioned election results by blocking national and interstate highways with trucks and tractors. Journalists covering the events were assaulted and intimidated while exercising press freedom. LatAm Journalism Review interviewed two journalists on the ground. Both suffered incidents and intimidation and told us about their experiences in the field.

Man behind several microphones

Under attack, Brazilian journalism presses forward in the Bolsonaro years, but hesitates in the face of fascism and democracy

Brazilian journalists have lived through years of violence, persecution and exhaustion under outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro. Amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, this stressful environment helped Brazilian journalism make strides, but also exposed its inconsistencies.

A group of journalists on a stage surrounding a woman speaking on a microphone

Central American Network of Journalists emerges as a collective response to attacks on the press in the region

Faced with the recent escalation of attacks on freedoms of the press and expression in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, journalists from these countries have come together to create the Red Centroamericana de Periodistas [Central American Network of Journalists]. Guatemalan Marielos Monzón, one of the Network’s founders, spoke to LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) about the goals and lines of work of this initiative in defense of journalism and the citizens’ right to be informed.

sound waves and a map from Venezuela in the backgroud

Closing of radio stations weakens conditions for practicing journalism in Venezuela

Venezuela has been subjected to a dismantling of its media ecosystem in recent decades. During the year 2022, at least 95 radio stations have been closed in the country, Zulia state being the most affected. These closures seriously undermine citizens' right to know and the conditions to practice journalism.