During this period, threats against journalists persisted across various regions of the country, alongside stigmatizing rhetoric directed at reporters and critical media outlets, as well as judicial pressures related to the practice of journalism.
IAPA Midyear Meeting. April 23 - 24, 2026.
During this period, threats against journalists persisted across various regions of the country, alongside stigmatizing rhetoric directed at reporters and critical media outlets, as well as judicial pressures related to the practice of journalism.
This situation unfolds in the context of an ongoing electoral process, in which ensuring adequate conditions for press freedom and citizens’ access to diverse and reliable information is particularly important.
Discrediting messages targeting the press continued, particularly on the social media platform X, from President Gustavo Petro, who has labeled critical media outlets and journalists as opponents, liars, or obstructors of government policies. At the same time, threats, intimidation, and acts of censorship were reported in multiple regions against journalists covering issues related to corruption, security, armed conflict, and illegal economies.
A report published by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in December 2025 reiterated that journalism in Colombia remains a high-risk activity, especially for those investigating public administration and public order. The Commission also warned about the recurring use of stigmatizing rhetoric by public officials against journalists.
The IACHR emphasized the need to guarantee the independence of the public media system—whose impartiality was questioned by the European Union observation mission during the March 8 legislative elections—and to adopt measures aimed at strengthening journalist protection and establishing transparent criteria for the allocation of official advertising. To date, no progress has been reported on these recommendations.
Threats and attacks against journalists continued, particularly in the country’s interior, where the presence of illegal armed groups and criminal economies creates hostile conditions for the practice of journalism. Incidents were documented in Antioquia, Cauca, Putumayo, Cali, Pereira, Yopal, and Arauca, including death threats, harassment, physical assaults, stigmatization, and attacks on media facilities.
On March 2, in Antioquia, journalist Yeison Rojas, a correspondent for Teleantioquia Noticias in the Urabá region, received a threat in which an alleged member of the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia demanded that he leave the area with his family.
On February 18, in the department of Cauca, staff from the newspaper Proclama del Pacífico were intercepted and forced to halt distribution in the northern part of the department under threat of death if they continued their reporting.
In February, in Putumayo, journalists Dubán García and Hamilton Obando, from the newscast Al Día Noticias, were declared military targets by illegal armed groups due to their reporting on kidnappings and extortion in the region.
In late December, in Cali, independent journalist Camilo Chará reported being followed and receiving death threats after publishing investigations related to alleged corruption in the city. In the same city, in November, an explosive device was detonated at the facilities of RCN Radio, which also houses RCN Television and the newspaper La República. Although the attack caused no casualties, it heightened concerns about the safety of media outlets.
On November 19, in Pereira, journalist Daniel Silva Orrego, from the outlet El Opinadero, received at his home a box containing a bloody cow tongue along with an intimidating message after publishing an investigation into alleged contracting irregularities.
On November 27, in Yopal, journalist Martín Mesa, from the outlet El Nuevo Oriente, was subjected to assaults and threats while carrying out his reporting work.
In December, in Arauca, journalist Wilfer Manuel Moreno, news director of CNC Arauca, was stigmatized by municipal authorities who circulated statements questioning his journalistic work.
Also in December, following several reports on alleged links between a dissident FARC group and senior government officials, that armed group issued threats against the television channel Caracol.
In the judicial sphere, several decisions were adopted that raise concerns regarding their potential impact on press freedom.
In February, a court ordered the permanent removal of publications from an investigative report by the outlet CasaMacondo, which involved a justice of the Constitutional Court, and prohibited further reporting on the matter.
Legal actions were also reported seeking to compel journalists and media outlets to issue corrections on matters of public interest in the lead-up to electoral processes.
On the regulatory front, initiatives persist that could affect the broader information ecosystem.
In October, press freedom organizations warned about information requests made by the Communications Regulation Commission to media outlets, seeking internal documents related to editorial processes.
This same Commission is preparing an administrative measure aimed at establishing rules on media pluralism.
At the same time, proposals are advancing to modify the criminal framework for defamation and libel—by increasing penalties—and to regulate state advertising through the so-called “thirds law,” an initiative emerging in a broader debate over the use of public resources within the media system.
