Nicaragua / Americas

New York, August 27, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is concerned about reports of intimidation against Nicaraguan journalist Sergio León Corea, who has been writing about drug trafficking and police corruption in Bluefields for the Managua-based daily La Prensa. León Corea, a correspondent in Bluefields on the Caribbean coast, told CPJ that early on…

New York, February 11, 2004—Nicaraguan journalist Carlos José Guadamuz was shot dead yesterday in Nicaragua’s capital, Managua, as he was arriving to work. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) continues to investigate whether his murder is related to his journalistic work. According to local news reports, the journalist’s murder took place at around 1 p.m.…

Economic and political turmoil throughout Latin America in 2002 had profound implications for the region’s press. Sharp decreases in advertising revenue bankrupted many media outlets, while the failure to consolidate democratic reforms left the media vulnerable to legal and physical assault. Five journalists were killed in Latin America in 2002 for their work.

On January 10, President Enrique Bolaños Geyer of the ruling Constitutionalist Liberal Party (PLC) assumed office, promising to fight corruption. With strong popular and media backing, Bolaños took on PLC leader and former president Arnoldo Alemán, long suspected of malfeasance. In September, a judge found several of Alemán’s associates and relatives guilty of corruption and…

The U.S. government took aggressive measures in 2002 to shield some of its activities from press scrutiny. These steps not only reduced access for U.S. reporters but had a global ripple effect, with autocratic leaders citing U.S. government actions to justify repressive policies.

During his last year in office, President Arnoldo Alemán continued to show intolerance and hostility toward the press. His administration supported a law requiring compulsory registration for journalists and doled out state advertising to punish or reward media outlets, depending on their coverage.

CPJ’s mission began 20 years ago with two volunteers, a typewriter, and a letter to Walter Cronkite.

MEDIA REPORTS ON OFFICIAL CORRUPTION RAISED TENSIONS between the press and the Nicaraguan government, which claimed that the media was engaged in a conspiracy to tarnish its achievements. In March, newspapers reported that Director of General Revenues Byron Jerez, the chief tax collector, had allegedly written almost half a million dollars in checks for fraudulent…

A tense political tug-of-war between government and the press continued as a recalcitrant executive branch persisted in using its power to punish critical media. Relations between the Nicaraguan press and President Arnoldo Alemán have long been strained. Journalists charge that Alemán tends to impede access, particularly to journalists investigating his personal conduct and alleging that…