The exercise of press freedom has deteriorated, particularly regarding guarantees of access to public information, government transparency, and unrestricted access to coverage at official government facilities. The institutional environment has become progressively opaquer and more restrictive due to regressive legislative reforms and administrative barriers upheld by the courts.
The main factor behind this setback is the enactment of the Transparency and Expedited Procedure for Access to Public Information Act, signed on December 14, 2025, by Governor Jenniffer González, which makes access to public information more difficult, complicated, and time-consuming for both journalists and citizens.
The new Law 156-2025 imposes additional requirements on requests for information held by government agencies. Under the amendments, it establishes a 20-business-day period for providing information, instead of the 10 days previously allowed.
This period applies to documents that do not exceed 300 pages or “whose age is less than three years, counted from the date on which they were originally produced.”
At the same time, it increases to 30 business days the period for producing information exceeding 300 pages or more than three years old, while maintaining the possibility of requesting a 20-day extension to fulfill the request. Thus, the period could be extended to as many as 50 business days.
It also provides that “personnel files or any information of this nature shall not constitute public information,” in reference to data that government agencies routinely make public through their electronic platforms.
The new statute also requires each request to be reported to agency heads, who will determine whether it is “not defective.” Each request must include the applicant’s mailing address and email address.
Regarding source protection, Senator Jamie Barlucea introduced legislation to guarantee the confidentiality of sources of journalists and citizens engaged in journalistic activities. Although the initiative has not been debated or approved, source protection on the island continues to be supported by Supreme Court precedent, subject to a relevance analysis in defamation litigation.
At the same time, the Executive Branch implemented an exclusionary policy at La Fortaleza, the official residence, by requiring prior certification from the Department of State to attend press conferences. According to the Center for Investigative Journalism (CPI), the measure directly affected reporters. Although a trial court declared the requirement unconstitutional in February 2026, the Supreme Court ruled on April 17, 2026, that the Executive Branch may require the official identification card, setting an adverse precedent for scrutiny of government activities.
In the area of public discourse, an environment of verbal harassment promoted from the highest levels of the Legislative Branch persists. Of note are the recurring insults by Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, who disparages media outlets and journalists through derogatory remarks on social media.
Amid the rapid digital transformation of the news ecosystem, newspapers El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora ceased printing at the end of September and transitioned to fully digital operations. According to GFR Media, the parent company of both newspapers, the transition was driven by changes in audience consumption habits and its strategic plan.
