RSF launches new initiative to bolster journalist protection and independent media in Central America amid growing repression
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is launching a project to aid journalists and press freedom defenders in Central America. In line with this project, the NGO held meetings with key stakeholders in El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica — a country where many Nicaraguan journalists are exiled —to help enhance crisis response, strengthen institutional support for independent journalism, and advance advocacy strategies to hold governments accountable for press freedom violations.
Press freedom in Central America is under severe strain, with escalating government hostility, judicial harassment, and violence against journalists — especially in Nicaragua, where independent journalism has become nearly impossible and exile the only option. To combat these threats, the RSF project will directly assist journalists facing forced displacement, legal persecution, death threats and other dangers by providing emergency aid, legal support, and capacity-building programs designed to ensure their safety and ability to continue reporting under extreme conditions. RSF will also help local journalists and press freedom organisations document press freedom violations, supporting the production of investigations and reports exposing the growing hostility towards journalism in the region.
The project will also strengthen partnerships between RSF and local press freedom organisations, as RSF seeks to enhance their ability to provide training, legal defense and institutional support to persecuted media outlets.
“The climate for press freedom in Central America is deteriorating at an alarming pace. Journalists face growing risks, from threats and legal harassment to forced exile as governments crack down on independent media. In response, RSF is expanding its initiatives to provide direct assistance to journalists, reinforce local monitoring of press freedom violations and increase pressure on authorities to uphold fundamental rights. Protecting journalism in this region isn’t just about defending individual reporters — it’s about safeguarding everyone’s right to trustworthy information.
As part of this new initiative, RSF conducted a mission to El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica from 17 to 25 March 2025. The visit aimed to deepen collaboration with local partners, engage public institutions, and coordinate emergency assistance and advocacy strategies in response to growing threats against independent journalism in Central America.
Supporting exiled journalists in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica (ranked 26 in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index), where many of Nicaragua's 283 media workers and at least 26 media outlets are currently in exile, according to RSF’ partners the Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED) and the JX Fund respectively, RSF hosted a training session focused on legal and technical support, network-building, and sustainability strategies for at least 30 journalists operating from abroad. The session forms part of a broader RSF effort to ensure that exiled media professionals can continue their work safely and effectively despite increasing transnational repression.
Press freedom under threat in El Salvador and Honduras
In El Salvador (ranked 133), RSF met with key civil society actors and the Presidential Commission on Human Rights and Freedom of Expression. The organisation raised concerns about the use of spyware against journalists, the extreme information blockade imposed by the government, and the alarming consolidation of power under President Nayib Bukele’s administration. RSF also engaged with members of the diplomatic community and local journalists to discuss the deterioration of the media environment under the prolonged state of exception.
In Honduras (ranked 146), meetings with Congress, the Protection Mechanism, and the Special Prosecutor’s Office highlighted the urgent need to reform legal frameworks, allocate sufficient funding to protection programs, and end judicial harassment against journalists. RSF raised concern over the continued criminalisation of defamation and the use of strategic lawsuits to intimidate the press. Amid growing fears about the 2025 election cycle, RSF underscored the importance of safeguarding journalists as a pillar of democratic resilience.
