"The recognition of La Prensa is a beacon of hope for all journalism resisting under extreme conditions."
Miami (May 2, 2025) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) celebrates with great pride the announcement that the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa has been honored with the 2025 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. This marks the first time this important international recognition has been awarded to a media outlet rather than an individual, sending a clear message of support for independent journalism persevering in repressive contexts.
Founded in 1926, La Prensa is not only Nicaragua's oldest newspaper but also a pillar of freedom of expression in the country. Over its nearly one hundred years of existence, it has confronted and survived three dictatorships, censorship, closures, attacks, the imprisonment of its journalists, and the assassination of its director, Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, in 1978. Today, under the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, it faces one of the most critical moments in its history.
Since 2018, following the civic rebellion in April, the regime intensified an economic suffocation campaign against the newspaper, blocking the importation of paper and supplies. In August 2021, La Prensa was forced to suspend its print edition and shortly after was subjected to a violent police raid resulting in the confiscation of its assets, the freezing of its bank accounts, and the unjust imprisonment of its general manager, Juan Lorenzo Holmann, who was detained for 545 days before being exiled and stripped of his nationality.
Despite these challenges, La Prensa has never ceased reporting for a single day. Its editorial team crossed into Costa Rica under emergency conditions and continues its work in exile today, with journalists operating from different countries including Spain, Mexico, Germany, and the United States. Reinventing itself with digital editions, networks of informants, and an online subscription system, the newspaper has solidified its role as a beacon of free journalism.
"La Prensa symbolizes the resistance of free journalism against attempts to silence it," said José Roberto Dutriz, president of the IAPA. "Its work, carried out under extremely adverse conditions and with significant risks to its team and their families, is an inspiring example of how journalism can remain a stronghold in defense of fundamental rights."
The IAPA supported La Prensa's candidacy considering that its trajectory embodies the noblest values of journalism. In its nomination, the IAPA stated: "La Prensa is more than a newspaper: it is a symbol of resistance, which for over 99 years has not silenced its voice and has been a beacon of truth in times of darkness." Martha Ramos, president of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, noted: "The recognition of La Prensa is a beacon of hope for all journalism resisting under extreme conditions. It represents the spirit of struggle of so many media outlets and journalists who do not surrender to censorship or repression."
"This award not only honors us but also pays tribute to all the men and women who, since 1926, have made this newspaper a bastion of free journalism (...) This award also belongs to all those independent journalists who continue reporting from outside the country and, above all, to our readers: the Nicaraguan people, whose thirst for truth and justice inspires us to continue," expressed the newspaper. The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was established in 1997 at the initiative of the UNESCO Executive Board and is officially awarded by the Director-General of the organization on World Press Freedom Day, May 3. Annually, it honors an individual, organization, or institution that has significantly contributed to the defense or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially under risky circumstances."
The award ceremony will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on May 7th.
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.