🇧🇴 El Deber

About El Deber

El Deber is a daily newspaper founded in 1953 by Lucas Saucedo Sevilla and is owned by Empresa de Comunicación Social El Deber S.A.. Recent reports from April 2025 indicated a change in ownership with new shareholders including Óscar Mario Justiniano, Alejandro Rivera, and Miguel Rockholt, and that the Rivero family would retain only 20% of the outlet. However, El Deber itself stated in April 2025 that the Rivero family remains in charge.

Bolivia's media environment is polarized, with increased government pressure on critical outlets. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has highlighted judicial harassment of journalists, a climate of self-censorship, and government financial pressure through state advertising. RSF also reported violent attacks against journalists covering protests. Freedom House notes that while Bolivia is a democracy, political polarization has led to increased attacks on media outlets and journalists perceived as antagonistic to the government, with the state leveraging economic power to exert pressure. El Deber journalists have faced threats, such as a reporter threatened after publishing news on drug trafficking. The outlet has also warned about fake accounts cloning its identity on social media and faced threats from 'anti-vaccine' activists. The headline sample covers a range of topics, including political events, economic news, crime, and sports.