Diario de Centro America

Diario de Centro América is a newspaper founded in 1880 that combines two types of content: general public news (all favorable to the government), but also official documents, mostly legal (including laws, regulations and government decrees).


Media assets

Publishing: Diario de Centro América

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

The newspaper is dependent on the ministry of interior, which defines the operation-related rules governing the newspaper. The ministry appoints the newspaper’s director and editors, according to local journalists.

Source of funding and budget

The bulk of the Diario de Centro América budget comes from the state budget, which in 2020 was worth GTQ 69.8m (US$ 9m), according to the latest annual report from the company. The publication by the newspaper of various official documents that come from other state authorities than the government is financially covered by the respective bodies, these payments boosting the outlet’s budget.

Editorial independence

The government has full control over the news content of Diario de Centro América. An informal content analysis run for this project by our local experts found that most of the stories in Diario de Centro América are designed to promote the president and his administration. Most of the stories highlight the merits of the government. Not only the news pieces, but also the opinion columns are mostly focused on the “achievements” of the government. The newspaper has very detailed rules about its operations, but none of it designed to ensure its independence. These rules are drafted by the interior ministry.

No domestic statute an no independent assessment/oversight mechanism in charge of validating the editorial independence of the Diario de Centro América have been identified.

August 2023