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Media Environment

Press freedom is preserved in Guatemala’s constitution under Article 35 and is generally respected by the government. In September 2008, seeking to counter perceptions of corruption and a lack of transparency, legislators unanimously approved the Freedom of Information Act. The law allows citizens to request and receive information about public institutions, potentially bolstering the efforts of some journalists to uncover government corruption.

News outlets are free to criticize the government but many journalists still face intimidation because of their reporting-often related to drugs, corruption, and organized crime. In 2008, media houses reported a number death threats against their journalists. In May 2008, Jorge Merida Perez, a prominent journalist of the leading national daily Prensa Libre, was murdered after reporting on drug trafficking and government corruption. In August, Jose Ruben Zamora, president of the Guatemala City daily El Periodico, was abducted and beaten unconscious for covering organized crime and corruption.[1]

Frequent threats or violent attacks against the press have produced a chilling effect on the industry, often leading journalists to practice self-censorship. According to the urban survey, a majority of urban Nicaraguans agree with this assessment. Seventy-one percent of respondents agreed that the media practices some form of self-censorship.

Chart 1 and 2

Most broadcast and press outlets are privately owned (the government possesses two television broadcast licenses but does not transmit any signals). The broadcast media environment is controlled by only a few media houses. The largest media group controlled by the Mexican businessman Angel Gonzalez Gonzalez possesses a virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting, managing four national TV channels which include the most popular and important stations in Guatemala: Channel 7, Channel 3, Channel 11 and Channel 13. Furthermore, Angel Gonzalez Gonzalez owns about 21 radio stations, including the most-listened station, Radio Sonora.

Charts 3 and 4

There are four major daily newspapers, and as with the TV industry, the newsprint industry is dominated by a single media house. The La Prensa SA group publishes the two leading newspapers in Guatemala, Nuestro Diario and La Prensa Libre.

The AudienceScapes urban survey shows a citizenry that is aware of the strong domestic influences on the media: 68 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that the government influences the media, while 70 percent agreed that economic groups influence the media.

Despite a large of majority of respondents holding these opinions, 71 percent agreed with the statement that the Nicaraguan media is free. In fact, 80 percent said they either completely or somewhat trust the media.

By contrast, only 29 percent said they trust the government in general, and only 38 percent voiced trust in Parliament. For further information on public perceptions of state institutions and the media see our article, Democracy, Governance and the Media.

 

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[1] “Map of Press Freedom: Guatemala”. Freedom House. Washington, D.C. 2009. Accessed December 2009. http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=251&year=2009.