During Evo Morales’ presidency, the newspaper Cambio was under the control of the Ministry of Communication and mainly featured news concerning the government. In November 2019, after Morales’ resignation, President Áñez renamed the newspaper Bolivia. Then, in May 2021, following the Communist Party’s return to power, the newspaper changed its name again, this time to “Ahora El Pueblo” (Now The People). The newspaper covers politics, economics, society, international news, and sports, and features opinion sections.
Media assets
Publishing: Ahora el Pueblo
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Ahora El Pueblo, much like the majority of state-run media in Bolivia, operates under the aegis of the Ministry of the Presidency, which is overseen by the nation’s president.
Following the government’s transition in 2020, the Socialist Party (MAS), now holding the reins of power, swiftly overhauled the leadership of all state-controlled media outlets, including Ahora El Pueblo. This development made it abundantly clear that the newly incumbent authorities were intent on cementing their grip over the landscape of public broadcasting in the country.
Source of funding and budget
In 2019, the newspaper operated with an annual budget of BOB 10.2m (US$ 1.5m), entirely sourced from government funding. By 2021, the publication saw a rise in its state subsidy, receiving BOB 11.8m (US$ 1.7m).
Fast forward to 2023, the government allocation for Ahora El Pueblo amounted to BOB 10.95m (US$ 1.55m)—a notable dip in local currency from the BOB 11.6m (US$ 1.64m) awarded the previous year, as reported by a media source.
Editorial independence
In 2019, the newspaper Cambio underwent not only a name change but also a sweeping shift in its editorial stance, pivoting from endorsing the Morales administration to championing the newly established government.
An informal content analysis undertaken for this project previously highlighted that much of the publication’s material in Bolivia at the time revolved around amplifying statements from former interim President Jeanine Áñez, publishing pieces that praised the incumbent administration, and taking a hard line against the previous presidency. Furthermore, archives of Cambio were conspicuously scrubbed from the internet under government orders.
A similar editorial trajectory was noticed following the 2020 elections, which saw the Socialists reclaim the reins of power. The newspaper rebranded itself once more, adopting the name Ahora El Pueblo, and, as reported by local journalists and subject-matter experts during interviews conducted in February and May of 2024 and in January 2025, it became an overt mouthpiece for the returning government. A fresh content analysis carried out in March 2024 corroborated these observations, uncovering a pronounced pro-government slant in the publication’s reporting.
Notably, no statutory measures or independent evaluation mechanisms have been identified to assess the impartiality or editorial freedom of Ahora El Pueblo.
March 2025