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The government of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador has captured international attention for its narrative of economic stability and security achievements, projecting itself in many cases as a model of transformation in the region. However, this image of success contrasts with increasingly alarming reports of restrictions on fundamental freedoms, particularly freedom of the press and government transparency.
The environment for independent Salvadoran journalists has become increasingly hostile, with a worrying increase in aggressions, stigmatization, and judicial persecution.
Recent reports by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reveal significant setbacks in freedom of information and access to public information as of 2022, with the establishment of the state of emergency in El Salvador.
What they report internationally on freedom of the press
IAPA noted that 2023 was the most critical year for the press in El Salvador since the end of the civil war, with a 66% increase in attacks against journalists.
In parallel, the U.S. State Department, in its Fiscal Transparency Report 2024, has highlighted the lack of public audits and growing doubts about the country’s financial management, especially regarding unaudited accounts and the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender.
Despite progress in the publication of some financial data, the report warns that audit institutions lack independence and have not complied with international auditing standards. These problems, in addition to undermining confidence in public management, raise serious questions about the government’s true commitment to accountability.
Bukele’s narrative
An investigation by ProBox provides deeper insight into how the Bukele government’s official narrative is being disseminated and amplified in the digital environment, while repression of the critical press continues to escalate.
ProBox used social listening tools to monitor the online conversation on issues related to press freedom, persecution of journalists and government transparency in El Salvador.
The study revealed that between September 2 and October 2, 191 mentions related to terms such as “government persecution”, “access to public information” and “harassment of journalists” were recorded.
Most of these mentions were concentrated on the X platform (formerly Twitter), with 57.07% of the total, followed by Facebook with 37.17%, and to a lesser extent Instagram. The day with the highest activity was September 13, when 22 mentions were recorded on these topics.
The most cited keywords in the publications included “freedom of the press” (28 mentions) and “deterioration of freedom” (12 mentions), reflecting the concern of journalists and users about increasing government control over the media.
The complaints point to a hostile environment for journalistic work, in which judicial harassment and harassment in social networks go hand in hand, driven by the disqualifying rhetoric of government officials. In this sense, it is possible to observe publications of users protesting for freedom of expression in El Salvador and labeling Bukele’s government as a dictatorship in X.
Likewise, media outlets such as La Prensa Gráfica, CNN en Español, La Gaceta, and journalist Roberto Cavada, have published reports by the IAPA and CPJ, denouncing the restrictions on access to information, especially on sensitive issues such as crime and prison conditions. These publications have also pointed out the existence of a “digital army” of trolls and bots used to discredit critics and amplify pro-government propaganda.
One aspect that attracted attention were reports such as that of FOCOS, an organization that from its Facebook account warned about how the government has begun to block profiles of critical users.
Critical organizations and media have denounced that the government of El Salvador has created more than 5,000 bot accounts on platforms such as X, Instagram and Facebook, used to spread pro-Bukele propaganda and attack opposition voices. These accounts have been blocked by the platforms following allegations of coordinated manipulation of the public conversation.
Probukelism is amplified on social media
The conversation was also analyzed around keywords and phrases such as: “Bukele’s economic plan”, “fully funded budget”, “innovation and security”, “bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador” and the participation of some network users who actively promote pro-Bukele content such as soyjoseyoutuber and tamarindosv.
Through this search, 223 mentions were obtained between September 8 and October 7, highlighting the activity of September 15 (Salvadoran Independence Day along with the rest of Central American nations) with 33 mentions registered.
This conversation was mainly concentrated on Facebook with 56.05% of the mentions recorded (125), followed by X with 43.05% of the mentions (96), then Instagram with 0.45% of the mentions (1), and TikTok with 0.45% of the mentions (1).
The government’s official narrative has achieved a strong presence in social networks through pro-Bukele figures and accounts (such as @soyjoseyoutuber and @tamarindosv), as well as through the dissemination of the discourse of economic stability and security success that has been widely disseminated.
For example, Bukele’s announcement on September 15, regarding the presentation of a 2025 budget fully financed without the need for foreign debt, was amplified by these users and replicated on platforms such as Facebook, X and TikTok.
One of the most viral examples was a TikTok video, uploaded by the account @bukelord, which posted the moment of Nayib Bukele’s speech in which he made mention of the budget proposal that accumulated more than 1.1 million views, 126,400 likes, 6,509 comments, 5,638 saves and 8,585 sends.
This digital activity reinforces the image of success that the government is trying to project, but at the same time masks persistent problems with human rights and transparency.
Much more than achievements
The official discourse of the Bukele administration has been to tout his administration as an economic success story. However, this narrative is increasingly being criticized by media and human rights organizations, which see these achievements as a distraction from underlying problems related to freedom of expression and transparency.
Although the government has presented initiatives such as the Code of Ethics and Integrity in the General Directorate of Customs, for some sectors these measures seem insufficient or limited in their implementation.
Repression and censorship of journalists continues to be a constant threat that affects civil society’s ability to hold those in power accountable.
