The IAPA presents a new edition of the barometer covering 23 countries across the continent
Miami (March 10, 2026) – The sixth edition of the Chapultepec Index on Freedom of Expression and of the Press, released today during a virtual event organized by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), portrays a particularly troubling scenario for journalism in the Americas: the overall average reached its lowest level since the indicator was created, with a score of 47.13 out of a possible 100 points.
During the presentation of the study, IAPA Executive Director Carlos Lauría warned that the results confirm “a significant deterioration both in authoritarian regimes and in consolidated democracies,” reflecting a regional trend marked by political pressure, violence, judicial harassment, and growing risks for the practice of journalism.
Martha Ramos, president of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information and director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), highlighted the proliferation of authoritarian rhetoric and practices that seek to portray the press as “public enemy number one” to evade accountability and weaken public scrutiny.
León Hernández, the index’s academic coordinator and researcher at the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), presented the results based on the evaluation of 195 freedom of expression experts in 23 countries. Among the most relevant findings are:
The case of El Salvador
Sergio Arauz, president of the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES), elaborated on the situation in his country, which ranks alongside Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua among the most critical levels of the index.
Arauz denounced an “escalating repression” in the context of the state of exception promoted by the government of Nayib Bukele. According to his account, the use of the Foreign Agents Law, combined with judicial harassment against media outlets and journalists, has forced around fifty Salvadoran journalists into exile over the past year.
“There are no possibilities of practicing journalism fully without facing consequences when there is an Executive branch with virtually unlimited powers and no effective legal oversight,” said Arauz, deputy editor of El Faro, whose newsroom currently operates from abroad. He also warned of growing selfcensorship among the Salvadoran population due to fear of reprisals.
The period analyzed stands as one of the most difficult for journalism in the region, marked by homicides, arbitrary detentions, judicial proceedings, and forced exile affecting journalists from Mexico and Central America to several countries in the Southern Cone.
Among the most common mechanisms of restriction are the criminalization of independent journalism, the use of stigmatizing rhetoric against the press, and various forms of deliberate financial suffocation targeting critical media outlets.
While the Dominican Republic remains the only country with a score above 80 points, followed by Chile, Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, and Jamaica, much of the hemisphere faces the challenge of strengthening protection mechanisms for journalists and revising legal frameworks that restrict or discourage free expression.
Looking toward 2026, the region is entering a period shaped by electoral processes and geopolitical shifts that could redefine the information environment, raising new dilemmas, challenges, and responsibilities for the defense of press freedom.
The Chapultepec Index on Freedom of Expression and of the Press can be consulted at the following link.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.