BOLIVIA

Country Summary

Bolivian journalists began to take a more vigilant role in promoting press freedom, along with journalists throughout Latin America, who are reacting more vigorously to threats against their colleagues and official efforts to intimidate the press. The Bolivian press has become more aggressive, reporting cases of government corruption. National opinion polls have revealed that the general public feels the press has more credibility than other national institution, including the Catholic Church.

But the press’s more aggressive posture resulted in a death threat against one journalist and a libel suit against another. On March 15, Osvaldo Calle, a reporter with the La Paz daily Ultima Hora, received an anonymous death threat at the newspaper’s office. The newspaper received several calls from a man inquiring about Calle’s schedule. Calle, a reporter with the financial section, had reported on Bolivia’s privatization of state enterprises.

On June 25, Ronald Méndez Alpire, a journalist and author, was sentenced to two years in prison for libel. In his book, Financial Puzzle, Méndez Alpire alleged that a former bank regulator was responsible for actions that led to two bank failures. The charges against the bank official were confirmed in a report by the controller general. News organizations and members of Congress protested Méndez's sentence. Méndez is free, pending an appeal.

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