During the government of Evo Morales, the newspaper Cambio depended on the Ministry of Communication and was a medium that prioritized news about the government. In November 2019, after Morales was forced to resign, President Áñez changed the name of the newspaper to Bolivia. In May 2021, following the return of the Communist to power the previous year, the newspaper changed its name again, this time to Ahora el Pueblo (Now the People). The newspaper has sections on politics, economics, society, foreign news, sports and opinion.


Media assets

Publishing: Ahora el Pueblo

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

Like almost all state media in Bolivia, Ahora el Pueblo depends on the Ministry of the Presidency headed by the country’s president.Following the change in the government in 2020, the newly elected authorities led by the Socialist Party (MAS) changed the management of all state media in Bolivia, including Ahora el Pueblo, a clear sign that the government is planning to cement its control over the state media.

Source of funding and budget

According to the latest data available for the year 2019, the newspaper had an annual budget BOB 10.2m (US$ 1.5m), all from government funds. In 2021, the newspaper received a larger state subsidy, of BOB 11.8m (US$ 1.7m).

Editorial independence

When the name of the newspaper Cambio changed in 2019, its editorial policy also changed from a newspaper supportive of the Morales regime to one plumping for the newly emerged government. Most of the newspaper’s content consists of dissemination of statements made by President Áñez, favorable stories about the current government and critical articles about the former President. The archives of the Cambio newspaper were all removed from the internet by the current government. Exactly the same editorial pattern was noticed after the elections in 2020 that brought the Socialists back to power. The newspaper changed the name again (to Ahora el Pueblo) and began to overtly support the new government, according to local journalists and experts.

No domestic statute and no independent assessment mechanism to validate the independence of Ahora el Pueblo have been identified.

August 2023