Barricada was originally launched in 1979 as the official newspaper of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), serving as a key tool for disseminating revolutionary ideology during the early years of Sandinista rule. The print publication ceased operations in 1998, amid political and economic shifts. In 2018, amid widespread anti-government protests, a group of young FSLN-aligned activists revived Barricada as a digital platform, positioning it as a loyalist response to growing dissent and independent media scrutiny. Today, the digital version—Barricada Digital—functions as a fully partisan outlet supporting the Ortega-Murillo administration.
Media assets
Publishing: Barricada
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
According to interviews with local journalists in Managua in May 2024 and January 2025, Barricada Digital is directly managed by the FSLN, with all strategic and editorial decisions made by the party’s central communications apparatus. The outlet operates as a digital extension of the party’s political messaging and is not subject to independent governance or journalistic standards.
Source of funding and budget
Barricada Digital is fully funded by the Nicaraguan government through channels controlled by the FSLN, including state advertising and institutional sponsorships. While there are no publicly available figures detailing its 2024 budget, local sources confirm that it operates entirely with public support, mirroring the opaque financing structures of other government-aligned media in Nicaragua.
Editorial independence
Barricada Digital demonstrates no editorial independence. As confirmed by content analysis conducted for this project in April 2024, the portal’s output is overwhelmingly devoted to praising government actions, promoting the image of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, and attacking opposition leaders and independent media. The platform functions primarily as an ideological and rhetorical tool of the ruling party.
As of May 2025, there is no domestic statute guaranteeing Barricada’s editorial independence, nor does any oversight mechanism or regulatory body exist to evaluate its operations. It is effectively a digital propaganda arm of the FSLN.
May 2025