The Sandinistas were widely criticized for censoring Nicaragua's media during the 1980s, and though Nicaragua's press is now technically free, in 2000 the Alemán government introduced stringent new standards for journalists requiring them all to be university educated, professionally qualified and - the crux of the argument - government approved. Opponents say that these new conditions restrict the right to free speech.

Of the national newspapers , the most authoritative is La Prensa , founded in 1926. During the Chamorro years it was criticized for being too supportive of that government (Violeta Chamorro was on the editorial board, and her daughter was the paper's editor), though it now takes a slightly more independent line and attacks corrupt politicians irrespective of party allegiance - in the run-up to the 2001 presidential elections it was equally critical of all the candidates. The other widely available daily is the black-and-white El Nuevo Diario , which is leftist but more sensationalist and populist in tone. El Mercurio is less widely available and yet more sensationalist.

The only English-language newspaper is the monthly Nica News , which often prints features on tourist destinations and reproduces flight schedules and the like. The problem is getting hold of it; try the Casa del Cafe in Managua, which also sells the Spanish-language Latin American edition of Newsweek . Foreign newspapers, even those readily available in other Central American countries, such as the Miami Herald or the New York Times , are virtually impossible to buy in Nicaragua.

Cable television is becoming increasingly widespread across Nicaragua, providing access to a range of international news, sports and movie channels. Many poorer Nicaraguans still get their news from the radio , while a number of FM stations pump out pop music, generally a mix of English and Spanish.