RSF - Reporters sans frontières

10/03/2025 | Press release | Archived content

RSF and Radio Ambulante condemn crackdown on independent journalism in Central America in new podcast episode

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has joined forces with Radio Ambulante - the station behind Latin America's leading narrative podcast of the same name - to release a special episode that lays bare the growing assault on press freedom in Central America - particularly the trend of exile as the only remaining way to continue reporting. Officially launched on 3 October 2025, the episode features the voices of Central American journalists who have endured persecution, censorship and expulsion from their home countries.

Listen to the episode of El Hilo here

Exile is no longer the exception but a survival strategy for independent journalism in Central America. Since 2018, more than 280 Nicaraguan media workers have been forced to fleethe country under pressure from Daniel Ortega's regime, according to the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED). Authoritarian tactics modelled on this approach have since spread to El Salvador and Guatemala, where independent journalists face threats, criminalisation, surveillance, harassment and - in many cases - the stark choice of leaving their homelandor facing grave risks.

The episode "Canarios de las minas de carbón: las batallas de la prensa centroamericana"(Canaries in coal mines: the battles of the Central American press) of the podcast El Hilo was produced by Radio Ambulantewith the support of RSF and other civil society organisations. It aims to raise international awareness and inspire concrete action to ensure that journalists in the region can carry out their work without fear or reprisals.

"The exile of journalists from Nicaragua and El Salvador reflects not only personal tragedy but also the broader dismantling of press freedom in the region. Behind each story of forced departure lie consequences that affect everyone as societies are deprived of the voices that document the rise of authoritarianism and defend the public's right to know. Through its partnership with Radio Ambulante, RSF seeks to amplify these voices, ensuring they continue to resonate across borders and remind audiences of the indispensable role of journalism in times of repression.

Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America

The episode is now available on all audio streaming platforms and features interviews and first-hand accounts from journalists such as Carlos Martínez and Óscar Martínez of El Faro (a digital media in El Salvador), Quimy de León of Prensa Comunitaria (a news portal in Guatemala), the independent journalist Álvaro Murillo, and exiled Nicaraguan journalists based in Costa Rica.

Producer: Eliezer Budasoff
Hosts: Eliezer Budasoff and Silvia Viñas
Editing: Silvia Viñas and Daniel Alarcón
Fact-checking: Bruno Scelza
Original music: Elías González
Support: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Civil Rights Defenders, International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights and Free Press Unlimited

THE AMERICAS
Nicaragua
Découvrir le pays
Image
172/ 180
Score : 22.83
THE AMERICAS
El Salvador
Découvrir le pays
Image
135/ 180
Score : 41.19
THE AMERICAS
Guatemala
Découvrir le pays
Image
138/ 180
Score : 40.32
Published on03.10.2025
  • THE AMERICAS
  • Actions RSF
  • Violence against journalists
  • News
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