Ownership, control and/or political affiliation of the newspaper "La Prensa". [NIC7892]

Specific information on ownership of the newspaper La Prensa of Nicaragua could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC. The book L'information dans le monde (Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1989) describes it in page 400 as a private publication. The Europa Year Book 1990 (London: Europa Publications, 1990) describes it in page 1921 as an "evening independent" publication, under the direction of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro and Jaime Chamorro. The Central America Report (Guatemala: Infopress Centroamericana, weekly) of 21 September 1990 refers in page 287 to "Jaime Chamorro of La Prensa" as an example of a person close to the City of God religious group and with influence in the government of Violeta Barrios viuda de Chamorro (known also as Violeta Chamorro). The 24 August 1990 edition of the Central America Report in page 253 quotes Cristina Chamorro, daughter of Violeta Chamorro and wife of the President's top advisor Antonio Lacayo, as being the editor of La Prensa.

During the recent presidential campaign, La Prensa was widely reported as taking a pro-UNO stand (UNO being the political coalition led by Violeta Chamorro), while the pro-Sandinista newspapers Barricada and El Nuevo Diario (under the direction of Violeta Chamorro's son and brother-in-law, respectively) took an anti-UNO stand. For a brief overview of this media electoral confrontation, please find attached a copy of page 14 of the June 1990 issue of NACLA Report on the Americas. However, information on the current content of La Prensa or the other Nicaraguan newspapers could not be found among the sources available at present to the IRBDC.