Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias (AGN) was established in 2010 as the official news agency of the Guatemalan government.
Media assets
News agency: AGN
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
AGN depends entirely on the Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidential Administration, according to local journalists and experts. Along with TGW radio station and Diario de Centro América, AGN is fully controlled by the Guatemalan government. The director of AGN is Facisis Masek, who is an employee of the Secretariat.
Source of funding and budget
The budget of AGN is allocated by the Secretariat for Social Communication of the Presidential Administration. The agency receives roughly GTQ 40m a year, according to local journalists and experts.
Editorial independence
With the government controlling its editorial policy, AGN’s mission is to promote and disseminate information about the plans, programs and strategies of the government. The AGN’s content is fully controlled by the government.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment/oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of the AGN have been identified.
August 2023