El Comercio, El Universo, La Hora, Primicias, and Últimas Noticias are the leading newspapers in Ecuador, where the practice of journalism is being impacted by the unsafe environment and economic difficulties. Between 2024 and 2026, the closure of local media outlets and the fall in the number of correspondents weakened local coverage, especially in high-risk areas. In the Amazon, radio stations and other media outlets operate with very limited resources, which restricts coverage in territories affected by socio-environmental conflicts and crime.

Former President Rafael Correa’s three consecutive terms (2007-2017) left a legacy of tension with the press and the intensive use of state tools to pressure the media After an institutional crisis under the Lasso administration, new elections — during which the candidate (and former journalist) Fernando Villavicencio was brutally murdered — brought Daniel Noboa to power in 2023. He was reelected in 2025. The country’s security crisis and highly polarised political scene have shaped public debate and media coverage, which is also affected by political disputes and restricted access to sensitive public information, which undermines transparency and hinders investigative journalism. 

The Organic Law on Communication (LOC), enacted in 2013, has been used in disputes with the press, notably for lawsuits and imposing fines on reporters. However, the LOC’s most critical aspects were reformed under Lasso; for example, the notion of “media lynching” and the role of the media supervisor were removed. In 2025, the executive branch introduced an economic bill to control irregular capital flows that could increase state supervision and the requirements demanded of NGOs, which may affect media outlets and journalism collectives that depend on foreign funding. 

The traditional media business model has been hit hard by a series of political and economic factors compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many newspapers, such as La Hora and the state-owned daily El Telégrafo, moved fully online; many radio stations dropped or reduced their news slots; and El Comercio laid off a significant share of its staff. The number of news sites is on the rise, but they have yet to establish a solid business model. 

Recent years have been difficult for Ecuadorean journalism due to an increase in attacks linked to a surge in drug-related crime and other pressures, such as the stigmatisation of reporters and online harassment. Frequent death threats and attacks on newsrooms point to structural violence and impunity, affecting the profession and driving some journalists into exile. In 2025, three journalists were killed for doing their job. Although Ecuador does have the Mechanism for the Prevention and Protection of Journalistic Work, the implementation of this programme is weak and lacks the funding needed to provide rapid responses. In border regions such as the provinces of Esmeraldas and El Oro, and in ports where cartels operate, local journalists increasingly censor themselves, creating news and information "black holes” in several parts of the country.