La Prensa (Panama City)
Encyclopedia
La Prensa is one of Panama
's leading newspapers. It is an independent morning daily in broadsheet format. The paper is overseen by a nine-member board of directors who are selected from among the company’s shareholders. The board appoints a Publisher, the Editor in Chief and the General Manager. Daily circulation is 65,000 (2010).
Eisenmann and his family were part of a group of political exiles of the military regime (1968–1989) that were allowed to return to the country after the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties by the US Senate (1978). The Senate and the Carter Administration pressed on Panamanian Head of Government, General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981) on his promises to a return to democratic rule and respect for human rights in Panama.
Eisenmann began planning for the opening of a newspaper that would be independent of the government. He met with officials from the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa, who helped him organize the structure of the newspaper and several opposition leaders and businessmen. To raise capital for the venture, he recruited small investors among friends, family, professionals and businessmen of Panama. To guarantee the paper’s independence, he mandated that no one could own more than 1 percent of the shares of the publication. This unique formula has guarantee the paper's critical editorial line for over 30 years from political and economic pressures.
The newspaper’s board held its first meeting in August 1979, and published its first edition on Aug. 4, 1980. The members to the first Board of Directors were: I. Roberto Eisenmann, Ricardo Alberto Arias, Ricardo Arias Calderon, Ricardo Bermudez and Fabian Echevers.
During the military regime, La Prensa was closed, censored and destroyed several times.
The newspaper was also set up so that its employees had a stake on the Company. All employees can buy shares at a reduced price, and the corporation distributes 50 percent of the annual profits to employees, with the remainder being paid as a dividend to the shareholders. Since the end of the military regime and the return to democratic rule, La Prensa has become a very profitable enterprise, paying annual high yield dividends uninterrupted since 1991.
Today, the newspaper is part of a larger publishing conglomerate, Corporacion La Prensa,S.A. (Corprensa). Other publications of the company include Mi Diario, a daily morning tabloid, Ellas, a weekly magazine for women, K, a monthly social magazine and Martes Financero, a weekly business magazine.
It was also the first newspaper in Panama with a web site, www.prensa.com, and today Panama’s most visited site.
In 2007, the paper started an English language section in partnership with the Miami Herald's International edition. That partnership was dissolved in 2008, and the paper started publishing its English language section on its web site.
On Oct. 22, 1981, because of its reporting, 10 gunmen opened fire on the newspaper's offices, injuring one employee and one customer. The Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), which was the political arm of the military regime, issued a statement that it had authorized the attack, stating “Members of our party today attacked the newspaper with the support of the party's general secretary.”
On June 8, 1983, a mob of about 200 PRD supporters attacked staff members in a demonstration at the newspaper's offices. One employee had to be hospitalized. National Guard troops called to the scene refused to stop the mob from attacking the employees.
During the May of 1984 general elections, several reporters and photographers from the newspaper were attacked by pro-government supporters and members of the National Guard when reports of electoral fraud was reported.
In September 1984, on the orders of the Ministry of Labor, the government closed La Prensa. It reopened a couple of days after strong internal and international pressure.
In December of the same year, Jiménez and reporter Lissette Carrasco were both savagely beaten by pro-government supporters while covering an anti-government demonstration.
In April 1986, the government began a protracted campaign against Eisenmann. After receiving threats from the National Guard, Eisenmann went again into exile in the United States until the fall of the military dictatorship. On June 25, 1986, the Legislative Assembly passed a resolution declaring Eisenmann as a "traitor to the nation." Eisenmann was invited by Harvard University to become a Nieman Fellow in Journalism during his exile.
In July 1986, columnist Guillermo Sanchez Borbon was forced to take refuge in the Venezuelan Embassy to avoid being arrested by the government because of poignant content of his writings.
On October 3, 1986, Manuel Antonio Noriega’s Minister of Government and Justice, Rodolfo Chiari, sent a letter to La Prensa stating that "We will not tolerate this constant and permanent practice…of publishing false news…that impacts public order, peace and national security.”
A few months later, the Ministry of Government and Justice informed Associate Editor Winston Robles that the paper would be censored, and assigned Miguel Angel Picard-Ami as the official censor of La Prensa. The newspaper did not publish for six days but on June 21, 1987 decided to put out a censored version of the paper. For nine days the newspaper was censored, with 80 percent of its content blank. On June 30, the paper was allowed to print without censorship, later publishing for three days a supplement with all the stories that were removed.
On July 26, 1987, security forces entered the building with an order to close La Prensa signed by Governor of Panama Alberto Velázquez. The paper remained closed until Jan. 20, 1988, when it was allowed to publish only to be closed again on February 25, 1988.
The paper published its first edition after the fall of the military regime on Jan. 8, 1990. That same year, Eisenmann returned from exile.
The first piece of in-depth reporting on the issue is the supplement, "We remember so that it does not happen again," which contains a history of the military dictatorship.
Attorney Winston Robles is appointed Editor in Chief in 1990. The paper covers the trial of Noriega in Miami, and publishes in-depth series on the deaths of Hugo Spadafora and Héctor Gallego in 1993 and Moses Giroldi in 1994. All three series win several national and international awards. In 1995, it publishes a series detailing unsolved crimes committed by the dictatorship.
In 1995 Eisenmann announces his retirement as Publisher of La Prensa, becoming a weekly columnist.
Juan A. Arias is elected as Publisher (1995–2000). The paper continues its work in uncovering corruption within the government. In 2001 hires Peruvian born investigative reporter Gustavo Gorriti as Associate Editor.
During the 1994 presidential election campaign, it publishes a series of stories about alleged political contributions made by drug traffickers. The series results in the paper again winning international recognition, but results in a flurry of lawsuits from PRD party officials.
In 1997, President Ernesto Pérez Balladares uncomfortable by the paper's investigations orders journalist Gustavo Gorriti to be deported. A three-month legal battle ensues, and Pérez Balladares, facing international pressure, eventually reverses his decision.
In 2000, former Attorney General José Antonio Sossa files a criminal complaint for libel against four La Prensa journalists, Gorriti, business editor Miren Gutierrez, and journalists Monica Palm and Rolando Rodriguez for a series of stories the paper published in 1999. In 2004, Sossa also files a complaint against La Prensa founder and president of the Foundation for Liberty Roberto Eisenmann, who questioned his work as a public servant.
Arias' tenure is followed by some turbulent years and short-term Publishers (2000–2004) until July 2004 when Fernando Berguido
, a member of the board of directors and lawyer is appointed as Publisher. Some months later, he also becomes Editor in Chief of La Prensa.
Since then, La Prensa has undertaken an aggressive role in investigative journalism, focusing on official corruption and exposing a number high profile cases, including awards of contracts and benefits to close associates of politicians and businessmen kept secrets to the public.
In 2008, Minister of Government and Justice Daniel Delgado Diamante is forced to resign after investigative reporter Santiago Fascetto prints an article detailing his alleged involvement in the 1970 shooting of a fellow National Guard officer. Diamante is charged with murder, and the case is still pending. He claims the shooting was in self defense and that he was cleared at the time, but no evidence of any investigation is found.
In 2009, the paper prints a series of stories that allege former President Pérez Balladares used shell companies to hide proceeds from casinos that received licenses under his administration. The president is charged and placed under house arrest, the first time a former president has faced corruption-related charges in the country’s history.
In December of that year, the paper publishes a supplement on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Panama.
In 2010, Berguido takes a leave of absence to attend a Nieman Fellowsip at Harvard University. Rolando Rodriguez, a journalist who had worked as a reporter and editor at the paper for 15 years, is appointed as Associate Editor in Chief, the first time a professional journalist has held the position.
La Prensa is the most award-winning-news media of Panama.
Publishers of La Prensa
I. I. Roberto Eisenmann – 1980–1995
II. Juan A. Arias – 1995–2000
III. Anabella de Rubinoff – 2000–2001
IV. Ricardo Alberto Arias – 2001–2002
V. Federico Humbert Jr. – 2002–2004
VI. Fernando Berguido
– 2004 – Present
Editors in Chief of La Prensa
I. Fabian Echevers – 1980
II. Carlos González De La Lastra – 1980–1983
III. Winston Robles – 1983–1985
IV. I. Roberto Esenmann – 1985–1990
V. Winston Robles – 1990–2000
VI. Stanley Muschett – 2000–2001
VII. Gilberto Sucre – 2001–2002
VIII. Winston Robles – 2002–2005
IX. Fernando Berguido
– 2005–2007
X. Siaska Salcedo – 2007–2009
XI. Fernando Berguido
– 2009 – Present
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
's leading newspapers. It is an independent morning daily in broadsheet format. The paper is overseen by a nine-member board of directors who are selected from among the company’s shareholders. The board appoints a Publisher, the Editor in Chief and the General Manager. Daily circulation is 65,000 (2010).
Origins
The newspaper was founded in 1980 by I. Roberto Eisenmann Jr., who had returned to Panama in 1979 after living in exile for three years in the United States.Eisenmann and his family were part of a group of political exiles of the military regime (1968–1989) that were allowed to return to the country after the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties by the US Senate (1978). The Senate and the Carter Administration pressed on Panamanian Head of Government, General Omar Torrijos (1929–1981) on his promises to a return to democratic rule and respect for human rights in Panama.
Eisenmann began planning for the opening of a newspaper that would be independent of the government. He met with officials from the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa, who helped him organize the structure of the newspaper and several opposition leaders and businessmen. To raise capital for the venture, he recruited small investors among friends, family, professionals and businessmen of Panama. To guarantee the paper’s independence, he mandated that no one could own more than 1 percent of the shares of the publication. This unique formula has guarantee the paper's critical editorial line for over 30 years from political and economic pressures.
The newspaper’s board held its first meeting in August 1979, and published its first edition on Aug. 4, 1980. The members to the first Board of Directors were: I. Roberto Eisenmann, Ricardo Alberto Arias, Ricardo Arias Calderon, Ricardo Bermudez and Fabian Echevers.
During the military regime, La Prensa was closed, censored and destroyed several times.
Corporate structure
Today, the company has more than 1,500 shareholders, none of whom may own more than 1 percent. Also, no elected politicians or government officials may serve on the board of directors. Shareholders meet once a year and elect, for two-years-terms, half of the members to the board.The newspaper was also set up so that its employees had a stake on the Company. All employees can buy shares at a reduced price, and the corporation distributes 50 percent of the annual profits to employees, with the remainder being paid as a dividend to the shareholders. Since the end of the military regime and the return to democratic rule, La Prensa has become a very profitable enterprise, paying annual high yield dividends uninterrupted since 1991.
Today, the newspaper is part of a larger publishing conglomerate, Corporacion La Prensa,S.A. (Corprensa). Other publications of the company include Mi Diario, a daily morning tabloid, Ellas, a weekly magazine for women, K, a monthly social magazine and Martes Financero, a weekly business magazine.
It was also the first newspaper in Panama with a web site, www.prensa.com, and today Panama’s most visited site.
In 2007, the paper started an English language section in partnership with the Miami Herald's International edition. That partnership was dissolved in 2008, and the paper started publishing its English language section on its web site.
History
In its early years, La Prensa was often attacked by the supporters of the military dictatorship.On Oct. 22, 1981, because of its reporting, 10 gunmen opened fire on the newspaper's offices, injuring one employee and one customer. The Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), which was the political arm of the military regime, issued a statement that it had authorized the attack, stating “Members of our party today attacked the newspaper with the support of the party's general secretary.”
On June 8, 1983, a mob of about 200 PRD supporters attacked staff members in a demonstration at the newspaper's offices. One employee had to be hospitalized. National Guard troops called to the scene refused to stop the mob from attacking the employees.
During the May of 1984 general elections, several reporters and photographers from the newspaper were attacked by pro-government supporters and members of the National Guard when reports of electoral fraud was reported.
In September 1984, on the orders of the Ministry of Labor, the government closed La Prensa. It reopened a couple of days after strong internal and international pressure.
In December of the same year, Jiménez and reporter Lissette Carrasco were both savagely beaten by pro-government supporters while covering an anti-government demonstration.
In April 1986, the government began a protracted campaign against Eisenmann. After receiving threats from the National Guard, Eisenmann went again into exile in the United States until the fall of the military dictatorship. On June 25, 1986, the Legislative Assembly passed a resolution declaring Eisenmann as a "traitor to the nation." Eisenmann was invited by Harvard University to become a Nieman Fellow in Journalism during his exile.
In July 1986, columnist Guillermo Sanchez Borbon was forced to take refuge in the Venezuelan Embassy to avoid being arrested by the government because of poignant content of his writings.
On October 3, 1986, Manuel Antonio Noriega’s Minister of Government and Justice, Rodolfo Chiari, sent a letter to La Prensa stating that "We will not tolerate this constant and permanent practice…of publishing false news…that impacts public order, peace and national security.”
A few months later, the Ministry of Government and Justice informed Associate Editor Winston Robles that the paper would be censored, and assigned Miguel Angel Picard-Ami as the official censor of La Prensa. The newspaper did not publish for six days but on June 21, 1987 decided to put out a censored version of the paper. For nine days the newspaper was censored, with 80 percent of its content blank. On June 30, the paper was allowed to print without censorship, later publishing for three days a supplement with all the stories that were removed.
On July 26, 1987, security forces entered the building with an order to close La Prensa signed by Governor of Panama Alberto Velázquez. The paper remained closed until Jan. 20, 1988, when it was allowed to publish only to be closed again on February 25, 1988.
The paper published its first edition after the fall of the military regime on Jan. 8, 1990. That same year, Eisenmann returned from exile.
Post-military dictatorship
In the years following the arrest and subsequent conviction of Manuel Antonio Noriega, La Prensa forms an investigative unit to report on crimes that were committed during the dictatorship.The first piece of in-depth reporting on the issue is the supplement, "We remember so that it does not happen again," which contains a history of the military dictatorship.
Attorney Winston Robles is appointed Editor in Chief in 1990. The paper covers the trial of Noriega in Miami, and publishes in-depth series on the deaths of Hugo Spadafora and Héctor Gallego in 1993 and Moses Giroldi in 1994. All three series win several national and international awards. In 1995, it publishes a series detailing unsolved crimes committed by the dictatorship.
In 1995 Eisenmann announces his retirement as Publisher of La Prensa, becoming a weekly columnist.
Juan A. Arias is elected as Publisher (1995–2000). The paper continues its work in uncovering corruption within the government. In 2001 hires Peruvian born investigative reporter Gustavo Gorriti as Associate Editor.
During the 1994 presidential election campaign, it publishes a series of stories about alleged political contributions made by drug traffickers. The series results in the paper again winning international recognition, but results in a flurry of lawsuits from PRD party officials.
In 1997, President Ernesto Pérez Balladares uncomfortable by the paper's investigations orders journalist Gustavo Gorriti to be deported. A three-month legal battle ensues, and Pérez Balladares, facing international pressure, eventually reverses his decision.
In 2000, former Attorney General José Antonio Sossa files a criminal complaint for libel against four La Prensa journalists, Gorriti, business editor Miren Gutierrez, and journalists Monica Palm and Rolando Rodriguez for a series of stories the paper published in 1999. In 2004, Sossa also files a complaint against La Prensa founder and president of the Foundation for Liberty Roberto Eisenmann, who questioned his work as a public servant.
Arias' tenure is followed by some turbulent years and short-term Publishers (2000–2004) until July 2004 when Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido was born in Panama City, Panama in 1962. He earned his Bachelor of Laws Degree, cum laude, from Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua School of Law in Panama City, Panama in 1986...
, a member of the board of directors and lawyer is appointed as Publisher. Some months later, he also becomes Editor in Chief of La Prensa.
Since then, La Prensa has undertaken an aggressive role in investigative journalism, focusing on official corruption and exposing a number high profile cases, including awards of contracts and benefits to close associates of politicians and businessmen kept secrets to the public.
In 2008, Minister of Government and Justice Daniel Delgado Diamante is forced to resign after investigative reporter Santiago Fascetto prints an article detailing his alleged involvement in the 1970 shooting of a fellow National Guard officer. Diamante is charged with murder, and the case is still pending. He claims the shooting was in self defense and that he was cleared at the time, but no evidence of any investigation is found.
In 2009, the paper prints a series of stories that allege former President Pérez Balladares used shell companies to hide proceeds from casinos that received licenses under his administration. The president is charged and placed under house arrest, the first time a former president has faced corruption-related charges in the country’s history.
In December of that year, the paper publishes a supplement on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Panama.
In 2010, Berguido takes a leave of absence to attend a Nieman Fellowsip at Harvard University. Rolando Rodriguez, a journalist who had worked as a reporter and editor at the paper for 15 years, is appointed as Associate Editor in Chief, the first time a professional journalist has held the position.
La Prensa is the most award-winning-news media of Panama.
Publishers of La Prensa
I. I. Roberto Eisenmann – 1980–1995
II. Juan A. Arias – 1995–2000
III. Anabella de Rubinoff – 2000–2001
IV. Ricardo Alberto Arias – 2001–2002
V. Federico Humbert Jr. – 2002–2004
VI. Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido was born in Panama City, Panama in 1962. He earned his Bachelor of Laws Degree, cum laude, from Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua School of Law in Panama City, Panama in 1986...
– 2004 – Present
Editors in Chief of La Prensa
I. Fabian Echevers – 1980
II. Carlos González De La Lastra – 1980–1983
III. Winston Robles – 1983–1985
IV. I. Roberto Esenmann – 1985–1990
V. Winston Robles – 1990–2000
VI. Stanley Muschett – 2000–2001
VII. Gilberto Sucre – 2001–2002
VIII. Winston Robles – 2002–2005
IX. Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido was born in Panama City, Panama in 1962. He earned his Bachelor of Laws Degree, cum laude, from Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua School of Law in Panama City, Panama in 1986...
– 2005–2007
X. Siaska Salcedo – 2007–2009
XI. Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido
Fernando Berguido was born in Panama City, Panama in 1962. He earned his Bachelor of Laws Degree, cum laude, from Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua School of Law in Panama City, Panama in 1986...
– 2009 – Present