Media pluralism has been undermined by multinational corporations taking over major outlets and political and business leaders acquiring local newsrooms. The country’s leading papers are La Prensa, El Heraldo and La Tribuna. Digital investigative journalism has become more established, but these reporters are exposed to pressure from local authorities and online harassment. At the local level, community radio stations and media outlets continue to operate despite being highly vulnerable due to their precarious financial situation and the presence of armed groups.

The 2025 elections and the transfer of power in early 2026 were marked by intense polarisation and disputes over the results. During this period, allegations of external interference were reported, particularly regarding US President Donald Trump’s public support for Nasry “Tito” Asfura, who took office on 27 January 2026. Journalists continue to face challenges similar to those encountered under previous governments – disparaging comments by officials, access to information denied to journalists who do not support the government, and a lack of protection against threats.

In a country plagued by the violence of organised crime and corruption, the level of impunity is one of the highest in the region. Journalists are regularly subjected to unfounded prosecution, and prison sentences for defamation are frequent, and in some cases, journalists are banned from their profession. A new penal code, adopted in 2020, contains draconian provisions, such as the criminalisation of the right to demonstrate and assemble. Criminal defamation, a charge widely used as a weapon against the media, acts as a deterrent to investigations in the public interest, as do other legal actions designed to coerce journalists into revealing their sources.

Honduras has one of the highest rates of inequality in Latin America. Job insecurity and the financial fragility of the news industry limit the sustainability of independent journalism, particularly at a local level. Newsrooms’ reliance on advertising puts their editorial independence at risk of interference and encourages self-censorship. Some independent media outlets manage to raise funds through meagre international grant projects, but most work under very poor conditions. 

The country is experiencing a period of social polarisation, which often takes the form of smear campaigns and online harassment targeting media professionals. Women and indigenous journalists are the primary victims, facing sexist and racist attacks that, in some cases, also affect their families.  Furthermore, the public discourse suffers from a lack of diversity. The perspectives of women and community voices are particularly absent.

Journalists and community media – especially those covering drug trafficking, organised crime, major business projects, social polarisation and violence against women – are often subjected to harassment campaigns and intimidation, persecution, death threats and physical violence, and sometimes forced into exile. Most of the time, abuses and violence against the press are committed by security forces, and more particularly by the military police and the army. Honduras has a domestic protection programme, but it has significant limitations, and news professionals continue to be threatened, murdered and forcibly displaced, perpetuating a pattern of impunity that hinders journalism.