The institutional dismantling in Latin America of the first and last of our freedoms is increasingly more aggressive and sophisticated. Personal, virtual, political, and judicial intimidation of journalists and the media are followed by reforms developed through a rather distinguishable legislative technique: dismantling the freedom of the press without even mentioning it.
From laws on national security, terrorism, cyberspace, and fake news to regulations on the good name of public officials and obstruction of constitutional functions, governments in several countries are studying and approving reforms that, although not directly referring to freedom of the press, end up undermining the essential values that allow its effective, critical, and independent exercise.
