Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
While the government controls many of the radio and TV stations, Nicaragua's two na-
tional daily newspapers -
La Prensa
and
El Nuevo Diario
- remain highly critical of the
Ortega government (a fact the FSLN repeatedly alludes to when confronted with claims of
censorship and media control). The former is your classic conservative rag - understand-
ably railing against all things Sandinista. The latter (more classically a blue-collar publica-
tion) seems to draw a distinction between the old-school Sandinistas (whom it still
vaguely supports) and the new-breed Danielistas (for whom it has very little patience).
It remains to be seen if, as it consolidates its power and media empire, the Ortega gov-
ernment will continue to tolerate independent opinion. After Ortega's initial return to
power, the
Nica Times
reported that Attorney General Hernán Estrada made the following
statement, which some interpreted as a veiled threat: 'A call from [President] Daniel
Ortega would leave nothing left of the opposition media…not a single radio station or
channel. But thank God he hasn't done that because of our governor's wisdom and serene
[sic].'
Most Nicaraguan TV stations have two types of news: a sensationalist ambulance-chas-
ing edition featuring graphic portrayals of fights and accidents - usually displayed on the
big screen at dinner time - followed by a far less popular political edition.
