Media in Colombia

Puppet Media

The following are listed on BBC and I found a lot of online newspapers for Colombia as well, two of wihich were English Online Newspapers.

The press

• El Tiempo - Liberal Party daily, national circulation
• El Espacio - evening daily
• El Nuevo Siglo - Conservative Party daily
• El Colombiano - Medellin-based daily
• Vanguardia Liberal - daily
• El Espectador - daily
• La Republica - business daily
• Semana - weekly

Television

• Senal Colombia - state-run
• Cadena Uno
• Telecaribe
• RCN TV - operated by Radio Cadena Nacional
• Caracol TV - private commercial network

Radio
Hundreds of stations are registered with the Ministry of Communications. Among the main networks are:

• Radio Nacional de Colombia - state-run
• Cadena Super - including Radio Super and Super Stereo FM
• Caracol - runs several networks, including flagship station Caracol Colombia
• Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN Radio) -

In Colombia, according to Reporters without Borders, Colombia was ranked at 146 for the year 2010 in the Press Freedom Index. The year prior it was in the 126th spot but unfortunately it dropped last year. Curiously, from what we've been hearing about the change of president, Colombia has become safer since President Santos took office. How is it then that the media's liberties have dropped and risks have increased? And is it the alleged FARC that are reigning terror on journalists? Actually no. It is the paramilitaries, code name: Black Eagles. When President Alvaro Uribe took office in 2002 his number one goal was to destabilize the FARC and by doing so he would enlist paramilitaries to fight the revolutionaries. Unfortunately too much violence ends up destroying the mindset and culture of a people. The paramilitaries who were initially supposed to combat the FARC have taken arms and are now forming outside of government control. This goes to prove that fighting violence with violence only leads to more violence.