Independent journalists are under threat in many parts of the world. Just in Palestine, 184 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel’s war on Gaza over the last two years.
In dark times, independent journalists are often forced to hold the line—denouncing the violence, uncovering the corruption, shining light on the injustice.
They are truth-tellers who are forced into the front lines, and for this… they are under threat.
Today, they are holding the line in El Salvador. There, the Nayib Bukele government has unilaterally detained numerous human rights defenders in recent weeks.
Independent journalists are also afraid. Oscar Orellana is the head of ARPAS, an association of 20 different community media groups across El Salvador.
“There’s an atmosphere of fear,” he says. “Of anxiety, insecurity…
“There’s self-censorship, like people who don’t want to make statements, journalists who prefer not to address these issues. Community leaders who prefer to remain silent. Let’s say that a culture of silence prevails, a culture that responds to this culture of fear.”
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President Bukele was reelected last year with 85% of the vote.
He has transformed the country. Locked up tens of thousands of suspected gang members. People can leave their homes without fear for their safety. But Bukele has also consolidated power—packed the supreme court, forced his way into Congress. He is now the leading ally of Donald Trump in Latin America, accepting US deportees to be dumped and forgotten in his mega-prisons.
And he is leading an assault on the opposition to his government, including independent and community journalists in the country.
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At least 15 journalists have fled the country in recent weeks. Roughly a dozen more are in hiding and fear for their safety. But many continue to report…
They continue to denounce the unjust detentions, jailings, and so much more. Oscar Orellana says it’s their duty.
“We can’t walk away,” he says. “We can’t abandon our work. We’re an organization that has its own community radio stations.
Closing this association would mean closing our 20 media outlets. It would mean giving up on our radio frequencies. We have to remain at the forefront.”
A new law was approved by the Bukele-allied congress in late May. It’s called the Foreign Agents Law. Bukele says it’s intended to roll back foreign influence and corruption. Human rights groups and many journalists say it’s a tool to control the opposition to Bukele’s government.
Under the new law, international funding for NGOs and media groups must be vetted by the Salvadoran government. Those receiving these funds must register as foreign agents. Any money received from abroad will be taxed an additional 30%.
Human rights organizers, independent journalists, and opposition lawmakers say the law is “an authoritarian tool for censorship”—A tool to shut down international funding for Bukele’s opponents. Keeping a close eye on their work, censoring their reporting, and making their lives impossible.
But independent journalists remain on the front lines. They continue to report. They continue to denounce the growing police state, despite the threats.
It is not easy.
The country has lived under a state of emergency since March 2022. This means habeas corpus and the rule of law are suspended. People detained by the police as suspected gang members or arrested on any suspected or trumped-up charges can languish in jail without trial indefinitely.
That is a major fear for many independent journalists. But they continue to report, inside or outside the country, from their homes, or in hiding. Telling the stories that need to be told. Resisting… despite everything.
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Hi folks, thanks for listening. I’m your host Michael Fox.
This is Stories of Resistance, a podcast series co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Each week, I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, leave a review, or tell a friend.
You can also sign up for the specific Stories of Resistance podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.
As always, you can follow my reporting and support my work and this podcast at patreon.com/mfox.
You can also find links to several of my stories in recent years about El Salvador in the show notes.
Thanks for listening. See you next time.
Independent journalists say they are under threat in El Salvador. At least 15 journalists have fled the country in recent weeks. Roughly a dozen more are in hiding out of fear for their safety.
“There’s an atmosphere of fear, of anxiety. Of insecurity,” says Oscar Orellana, the head of the community media association ARPAS.
But many continue to report. They continue to denounce the unjust detention of human rights defenders. They continue to tell the stories that need to be told. Resisting… despite everything.
This is episode 45 of Stories of Resistance—a podcast co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. Independent investigative journalism, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program. Each week, we’ll bring you stories of resistance like this. Inspiration for dark times.
If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review.
And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed, either in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen.
Visit patreon.com/mfox for exclusive pictures, to follow Michael Fox’s reporting and to support his work.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
More of Michael’s Reporting on El Salvador:
Marching Against El Salvador’s Police States — Stories of Resistance, Episode 26: https://therealnews.com/marching-against-el-salvadors-police-state
Families of the detained see echoes of dictatorial past in El Salvador’s gang crackdown: https://therealnews.com/families-of-the-detained-see-echoes-of-dictatorial-past-in-el-salvadors-gang-crackdown
Nayib Bukele: El Salvador’s mega-prison president detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia for Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGDw_NxfA0
Does Nayib Bukele’s reelection violate El Salvador’s constitution?: https://therealnews.com/does-nayib-bukeles-reelection-violate-el-salvadors-constitution
El Salvador, Bukele, Presidente. | Under the Shadow Update 2: https://therealnews.com/el-salvador-bukele-presidente-under-the-shadow-update-2
El Salvador’s civil war | Under the Shadow Episode 4: https://therealnews.com/el-salvadors-civil-war-under-the-shadow-episode-4
This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.