Freedom of the Press 2008 - Nicaragua

Status: Partly Free
Legal Environment: 14 (of 30)
Political Environment: 17 (of 40)
Economic Environment: 12 (of 30)
Total Score: 43 (of 100)
(Lower scores = freer)

The Nicaraguan constitution provides for freedom of the press but also allows for some forms of restriction, including criminal defamation legislation. Legal actions to improve the situation for the media remain stagnant. Judges are often aligned with political parties, and some have restricted reporters from covering certain stories; cases of judicial intimidation have also been reported. On May, a new access to information law was approved, and in December the attorney general created an office to serve as the clearinghouse for all freedom of information requests. However, civil society groups and the media indicated that the access to information law includes sections that may undermine the measure's ultimate effectiveness. A court appeal on constitutional grounds against Law 372, which requires all journalists to register with the Colegio de Periodistas, was still pending in the Supreme Court at year's end.

After taking office, President Daniel Ortega promised to fight corruption and to resolve the country's widespread poverty issue, but his desire to follow in his predecessor's footsteps and respect freedom of the press has so far failed. Journalists and civil society groups are increasingly concerned about perceived authoritarian tendencies displayed by President Ortega's government. Ortega frequently discredits the press's work in his speeches and appointed his wife, Rosario Murillo, as his administration's point person for relations with the press. Journalists complained that the government offered preferential treatment to media loyal to the FSLN party, intimidated media outlets and journalists into self-censorship.

Physical attacks on journalists have diminished, but a number of reporters received death threats or were harassed at gunpoint throughout the year. Politicians have also often criticized the media for trying to undermine their credibility and limit public debate. In February, three members of the ruling party threatened to kill journalist William Aragón in response to the author exposing government corruption in two articles in the Managua-based daily La Prensa. Later in December, La Prensa correspondent Jorge Loáisiga was briefly detained by presidential security guards at a public ceremony attended by the president and several ambassadors. Loáisiga was soliciting comments from the American ambassador when he was roughly handcuffed and detained, though authorities released him shortly afterward when other journalists and local residents protested.

There are 10 Managua-based television stations, some of which carry obviously partisan content, as well as more than 100 radio stations, which serve as the main source of news for most citizens. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, and its media rely on government advertising. There are still complaints about the political manipulation of government propaganda. Newspaper ownership is concentrated in the hands of various factions of the Chamorro family. The prominent Sacasa family similarly dominates the television industry. Angel Gonzalez, noted for his holdings in Guatemala and Costa Rica, also owns significant electronic media interests. A freeze remains on government advertising, which only appears in media outlets that belong to the ruling party or that have close ties to the government, or on highway billboards. Despite a constitutional provision providing tax exemption, in September customs authorities impounded for two weeks printing materials imported by La Prensa, in an attempt to make the company pay import duties. The poor economic climate leaves journalists vulnerable to bribery. A new generation of journalists in Nicaragua is rejecting the old ways of self-censorship and bribery, but this process has been slow. There are no government restrictions on the internet, which is used by less than 3 percent of the population.