In general, press freedom is respected in Ecuador, but journalists complained that government officials continue to blame the media for the country’s problems, including rampant corruption. Throughout much of the year, President Gustavo Noboa sparred with the press over its critical coverage of his administration’s failure to handle a rash of failing private banks–a crisis…
AMID SOCIAL AND POLITICAL TURBULENCE following a change of government in January and the dollarization of the economy, authorities intercepted a series of letter bombs sent to journalists. On January 21, President Jamil Mahuad was overthrown in an uprising led by junior military officers and Amerindian protesters who installed a “national salvation government.” The following…