Freedom of the Press - Colombia (2002)

Status: Partly Free
Legal Environment: 11
Political Influences: 30
Economic Pressures: 19
Total Score: 60

Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 71
Religious Groups: n/a
Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (58 percent), white (20 percent), mulatto (14 percent), black (4 percent), other, including Indian (4 percent)
Capital: Bogota

Paramilitary groups and political rebels continued to regard the press as a military target. Journalists are frequently the victims of revenge violence by drug traffickers as well as by rebel groups that assassinate investigative reporters. Eight journalists were murdered in 2001, according to figures provided by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The weekly Otoro was hit with explosives. Two radio journalists resigned, complaining of official censorship. Four journalists received death threats from a paramilitary group and were told to leave the country. A television journalist was verbally and physically mistreated by the military. The news media are generally free of legal restrictions, though the penal code and anticorruption law prohibit publication of certain information related to criminal investigations. Despite the atmosphere of intimidation, the media provide a wide range of political views.