"In the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, more than half the countries in the Americas region have seen their situation deteriorate, particularly due to the fall in the political indicator.
More and more politicians are stigmatizing journalists and the media in their speeches. On top of this, political actors employ disinformation campaigns, abusive prosecutions and state propaganda that openly fosters distrust of the press and encourages polarization. This violence, combined with physical attacks on journalists with total impunity, is fuelling a climate of censorship in South and Central America.
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Similar forces are at play in Argentina (66th) in the wake of President Javier Milei coming to power, whose aggressive stance towards journalism stifles pluralism. In Peru (125th), the conditions for journalism are deteriorating as the political system becomes increasingly opaque. The country has fallen 48 places in the past two years. In Central America, President Nayib Bukele's openly hostile stance towards investigative journalism is behind El Salvador’s (133rd) free fall since 2019."
