This week the Interamerican Institute of Human Rights (IIDH) affirmed that freedom of expression in Central America is threatened by political favoritism linked to the parties in power. News reporters in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica have received both violent and legal threats. Such threats make coverage of unfavorable news to those in power difficult, sometimes even life threatening. Limitations on freedom of speech are major obstacles in the development of democracy and provide skewed understanding of politics and elections to those, including impoverished indigenous groups, who cannot obtain news from impartial sources.
