Ecuador / Americas

  
A vendor waits for customers while selling newspapers on his motorcycle, one week after an earthquake in Pedernales, Ecuador. A local journalist says years of self-censorship among the press led to 'timid' early reports of the disaster. (AP/Rodrigo Abd)

Correa’s legacy leaves a long road to recovery for Ecuador’s journalists

Since taking office in May, Ecuadoran President Lenín Moreno has pledged to end a decade-long battle between the government and the media. But several reporters and editors with whom CPJ spoke said that the anti-press campaign carried out by Moreno’s predecessor, former President Rafael Correa, has caused lasting damage to journalism in Ecuador.

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Ecuadorian journalist Janet Hinostroza poses for a photo at the Teleamazonas television station in Quito, Ecuador on December 7, 2015. In 2013, CPJ honored Hinostroza with its International Press Freedom Award for her courageous investigative reporting in politics and corruption. (AP/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuadoran TV journalist receives death threats

New York, October 18, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Ecuadoran authorities to ensure the safety of television journalist Janet Hinostroza.

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Ecuadoran President Lenín Moreno, pictured in Quito in October. The president is urging journalists to embrace their watchdog function. (AFP/Rodrigo Buendia)

Ecuador’s Moreno opens new era in relations with media

Less than a month after taking office, Ecuadoran President Lenín Moreno engineered a ceasefire in the decade-long battle between the government and the nation’s independent news media by inviting a group of radio, TV, and newspaper editors to the Carondelet presidential palace in Quito.

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Disrupting the Debate

Governments use copyright laws and Twitter bots to curb criticism on social media By Alexandra Ellerbeck On July 10, 2016, Ecuadoran journalist Bernardo Abad tweeted that the former vice-president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, had not paid income taxes for the year before. A week later, Abad received a message from Twitter saying his account had…

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Ecuadoran regulators have fined seven news outlets for declining to republish allegations from an Argentine newspaper that defeated presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso, shown here in an April 3, 2017, press conference in Quito, evaded taxes. (AP/Delores Ochoa)

Ecuador fines seven news outlets for not reproducing Argentine newspaper story

Bogotá, Colombia, April 24, 2017–Ecuadoran authorities should immediately annul fines imposed on seven media outlets for declining to reproduce a story published in an Argentine newspaper, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Journalist facing charges in Ecuador files for asylum in Peru

New York, April 18, 2017–Ecuadoran journalist Fernando Villavicencio, director of the news website Focus Ecuador and a critic of outgoing President Rafael Correa, today filed a petition for political asylum in Lima, Peru. A statement from the regional press group Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) said the journalist, who fled to Lima after presidential elections…

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Janet Hinostroza, poses for a photo at her offices on December 7, 2015 (AP/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuadoran TV journalist receives mail bomb

New York, February 17, 2017–The Ecuadoran National Police should swiftly bring to justice whoever sent award-winning TV journalist Janet Hinostroza a makeshift explosive device, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The attempted attack took place days before general elections scheduled for February 19.

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CPJ Highlights: December edition

Today is #GivingTuesday! Please include CPJ in your plans for #GivingTuesday. For more on how CPJ upholds press freedom around the world, visit our website at cpj.org.

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Judge orders journalist’s arrest for publishing confidential documents

New York, November 15, 2016–An Ecuadoran judge last night approved an arrest warrant for journalist Fernando Villavicencio on charges of distributing emails sent by public officials, according to the journalist’s lawyer. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities to revoke the warrant.

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Janet Hinostroza, poses for a photo at her offices on December 7, 2015 (AP/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador reprimands journalist, TV station for investigative reports

New York, August 9, 2016 – The Ecuadoran communications regulator should rescind all measures against the broadcaster Teleamazonas and journalist Janet Hinostroza, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Regulators yesterday sanctioned the station and the journalist for “media lynching” in relation to investigative reports into the government’s purchase of medical supplies.

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