Press Freedom in 'Marked Deterioration' Across Americas, IAPA Report Warns

Press freedom has suffered a "marked deterioration" across the Americas over the past six months, according to a new report from the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). Presented at its 80th General Assembly in Asunción, Paraguay, the report identifies Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador as the most severe cases of repression, warning of systematic, state-led crackdowns on the media.

The 'Autocrat's Playbook' on Repeat

The report finds that authoritarian governments are deploying a similar set of strategies to silence critical journalism. IAPA President Roberto Rock described it as "a landscape where authoritarianism is gaining ground." Carlos Jornet, head of the press freedom committee, was more direct: "The playbook of the autocrat is repeated."

This playbook includes stigmatizing speeches against journalists by high-ranking officials, judicial persecution through criminal charges, and the creation of legal frameworks designed to silence dissent. "Dictatorships... have refined their methods of censorship and annihilation of critical media," the report concludes.

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According to the IAPA, Nicaragua has effectively become a "police state," with journalists like Víctor Ticay imprisoned. In Venezuela and Cuba, systematic persecution and the closure of media outlets have become commonplace. Meanwhile, in El Salvador, the government of President Nayib Bukele is accused of using a prolonged state of emergency as a pretext to spy on and prosecute journalists.

Other Regions of Concern

The IAPA also raised red flags elsewhere. Guatemala is seeing attempts to criminalize journalism itself, exemplified by the case of journalist José Rubén Zamora. Violence against the press remains a critical issue in Mexico. And in Ecuador, concerns were raised about the stigmatizing discourse against the media from President Daniel Noboa's administration.