THREAT CLIMATE ASSESSMENT: THE DEGRADATION OF COLOMBIAN JOURNALISTS’ OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT INTO NORMALIZED VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION WILL LIKELY ENABLE DISINFORMATION AND CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

Aristide Devevey, Christian Jackson, Dominic Perfetti, Julia Ruiz Redel, Matthew George, Michela Sereno, Noah Clarke, Sharon Preci, SOUTHCOM Team

Ben Gentemann, Editor; Elena Alice Rossetti, Senior Editor; Jennifer Loy, Chief Editor

May 13, 2026

Press Room^[1]

BLUF

Perpetrators of journalistic violence in Colombia are increasingly able to operate with impunity as attacks become normalized in a hostile environment, leading to self-censorship among threatened journalists.^[2] Previously, Colombian journalists operated in high-risk areas, assisted by government and international measures supporting their ability to report safely.^[3] The Colombian journalist security threat climate will very likely degrade from targeted threats to a normalized environment of violence, intimidation, and self-censorship against independent reporting. The proliferation of digital threats, political stigmatization of journalists, and declining financial support for independent reporters will likely continue worsening their operational independence and security. This shift will likely make critical reporting more dangerous by pressuring independent reporters to limit coverage of sensitive topics to protect their livelihood. Prolonged gaps in sensitive reporting will likely expand, especially in high-conflict areas where there is a lack of governmental protection and support. This systemic shift will very likely reduce the visibility of issues such as corruption, abuse of power, human rights violations, and connections between state and non-state actors, constraining both policymakers’ and the public’s ability to fully understand the country’s issues.

Introduction

In May 2026, Colombian authorities recovered the body of regional journalist Mateo Pérez Rudea in Antioquia after he reported on corruption, public security, and local political dynamics in areas affected by armed-group activities.^[4] His killing occurred amid broader deterioration in Colombia’s press freedom environment, where journalists covering corruption, armed conflict, and illegal economies have increasingly faced threats, intimidation, and violence.^[5] In 2024, Colombia was identified as the second deadliest country in the Americas for journalists,^[6] while the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) documented at least 530 attacks against media personnel that same year.^[7] Simultaneously, armed groups expanded their presence into hundreds of municipalities across Colombia,^[8] worsening conditions for regional journalists operating in territories with limited institutional protection and persistent criminal violence.^[9] 

Public officials and political actors have also contributed to hostile conditions for journalists through societal stigmatization, accusations of disinformation, and confrontational rhetoric targeting independent media outlets and investigative reporters.^[10] Despite the implementation of multiple official measures for threatened journalists, such as the Protection Program of the National Protection Unit or the Presidential Directive No. 7, press violence and intimidation against reporters have persisted amid high impunity levels and weak institutional enforcement.^[11] Journalists in conflicted  regions have increasingly faced digital harassment and cyber threats^[12] while operating under financial instability linked to declining independent funding and dependence on advertising revenue.^[13]   

Analysis

Technology

Threats against journalists will very likely transition from direct physical threats and territorial violence to a hybrid of physical and digital intimidation. Violence and intimidation against journalists have historically occurred through stakeouts outside journalists’ homes and offices and physical surveillance of journalists and their families. It included threats through phone calls, mail, and the delivery of symbolic objects such as bullets, blood, and death notices naming the journalist as the deceased. Technical developments in the digital era will very likely enable the expansion of social media targeting, hacked communications, disinformation, and the dissemination of “digital terrorism” content targeting journalists. The online social media landscape will likely outpace existing security strategies such as encryption and password protection, weakening safeguards for journalists’ personal information. This digital gap and social media algorithms will likely facilitate the rapid amplification and dissemination of hostile narratives targeting journalists across large, diverse audiences. The continuation of online tactical operations to smear and control the independence of journalists will likely weaken the perceived legitimacy of journalism and prompt the public to question news credibility. This shift will likely drive journalists to feel discouraged from investigating sensitive topics, including corruption and criminal activity. This shift will also likely encourage the public to seek out and engage with unverified information on platforms, including social media and tabloids.

Political

Political discourse surrounding journalists in Colombia will likely degrade from formal institutional support for press freedom toward normalized public delegitimization of independent media. The government historically framed journalist protection as a legitimate institutional responsibility in response to persistent violence against the press. Official measures such as Presidential Directive No. 7 and state protection mechanisms for threatened journalists reflected recognition of the security risks the press faced. Public criticism of attacks against journalists contributed to the perception that violence against reporters required institutional response and condemnation. Current political free press restrictions will likely continue through the deterioration of state directives, likely creating hostile environments for reporters as safety declines. Repeated accusations portraying journalists as politically adversarial actors or disinformation producers will likely reduce public trust in independent reporting and incentivize public hostility toward journalists. Reduced confidence in independent media and continued political pressure targeting press institutions will likely increase journalists’ ability to be coerced, likely lessening reports about conflict areas in efforts to protect their livelihoods. Government officials’ repeated public disparagement of independent journalists will likely weaken institutional and public condemnation of intimidation targeting reporters, reducing the reputational risks associated with harassment and violence against the press. Lower reputational risks will likely encourage corrupt state officials to increasingly rely on intimidation and threats, including harassment via WhatsApp targeting reporters investigating corruption, illicit economies, and public security issues. Persistent intimidation targeting investigative reporters will likely constrain independent media coverage in conflict-affected regions, contributing to localized information gaps and reducing accountability pressures on illicit actors.

Economic

Regional journalism’s growing dependence on political revenue and funding will likely shift in conflict-affected areas from relatively independent reporting to increased external pressure and limited reporting freedom. Previously, local journalists relied on advertising-based revenue and unstable employment structures. Journalists spent a considerable proportion of their time seeking advertising income instead of conducting investigative reporting, reflecting low, irregular compensation for reporting work and weak regional newsroom structures due to insufficient revenue. Withdrawal of international funding, closure of local newspapers, and growing dependence on advertising revenue and subscribers for financial survival will very likely weaken independent media outlets. Subscription-based models will likely continue replacing freely accessible reporting. Financially vulnerable journalists and outlets will likely face increasing pressure from political sponsors to avoid reporting that could threaten political or economic relationships. This growing financial dependence on unstable revenue streams will likely produce long-term gaps in local information ecosystems, especially in rural and conflict-affected municipalities where independent reporting is limited. As regional outlets become financially constrained, entire areas will likely become underreported, likely reducing external visibility over violence, corruption, and armed groups’ activity. This shift will likely weaken local accountability mechanisms, likely allowing armed actors and politically-connected elite to operate with reduced scrutiny.

Recommendations

• The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) recommends The Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) to strengthen protections for journalists by improving personal digital security through cybersecurity training and multi-factor authentication to reduce hacking and personal data theft.

• A protection program with defined reporting procedures for threats, harassment, and other forms of online abuse targeting journalists should be established. This would include secure online reporting channels and designated official contacts for journalists to safely document and report violations to relevant authorities.

• FLIP should collaborate with social media companies to create direct reporting channels for reporting threats and intimidation that target journalists’ accounts.  This would enable rapid response and removal.

• A dedicated fund should be established to cover the legal expenses of investigative journalists facing politically motivated lawsuits or legal harassment.

• It should serve as an independent ranking system of various media outlets in Colombia to assess their credibility and effectiveness in order to monitor press freedom and incentivise public transparency

• An official risk ranking system for each Colombian region should be implemented in the data evaluated and published by FLIP.

• A partnership with NGOs that help provide funding and legal protection to independent journalists should be established to strengthen their financial and legal security. This would reduce the partisan sponsors’ ability to use the threat of revoking funding to pressure journalists into avoiding certain topics.

• FLIP should support the development of sustainable media financing models, such as multidonor funds, to allow journalists to finance their work while preserving editorial independence.

Threat Climate Assessment

Analysis indicates that there is a HIGH PROBABILITY that the threat climate shifts from targeted journalist security threats to a normalized environment of violence and intimidation, LIKELY fostering self-censorship among independent reporters. Threats against reporters will VERY LIKELY evolve from physical threats and territorial violence to a hybrid in-person and digital intimidation. Political discourse targeting independent media will VERY LIKELY continue reducing public trust in journalists through weakening condemnation of threats and harassment against reporters. Financial dependence on unstable revenue sources and political sponsorship will LIKELY pressure regional journalists and outlets to avoid reporting on corruption, conflict, and illicit activity. If this trajectory continues, disinformation will LIKELY proliferate among the Colombian public, LIKELY enabling criminal groups and corrupt government actors to operate with reduced public scrutiny and accountability.

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[1] Press, generated by a third party image database (created by AI)

[2] Mateo Pérez Case | Historian explained in a timeline why journalism in Colombia “has been murdered for more than half a century”, Infobae, May 2026, https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2026/05/09/caso-mateo-perez-historiadora-explico-en-una-linea-del-tiempo-por-que-el-periodismo-en-colombia-ha-sido-asesinado-por-mas-de-medio-siglo/ (Translated  protectionprotection   by Google)

[3] Colombia: Threats against investigative journalists escalate despite government response efforts, Reporters Without Borders, October 2024, https://rsf.org/en/colombia-threats-against-investigative-journalists-escalate-despite-government-response-efforts 

[4] Authorities recover the body of journalist Mateo Pérez Rueda, who was murdered in Antioquia, El Pais, May 2026, https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2026-05-08/las-autoridades-rescatan-el-cuerpo-sin-vida-del-periodista-mateo-perez-rueda-asesinado-en-antioquia.html (translated by DeepL)

[5] “Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 2024”, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2025, https://cdn.wan-ifra.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/19025030/IA2024RELE_EN.pdf

[6] Ibid

[7] At least 530 attacks against journalists were recorded in Colombia in 2024, according to FLIP, LatAm, February 2025, https://latamjournalismreview.org/news/at-least-530-attacks-against-journalists-were-recorded-in-colombia-in-2024-according-to-flip/

[8] Colombia, RSF, https://rsf.org/en/country/colombia

[9] Colombia: RSF calls for an end to hostile rhetoric from the government and a plan to support journalism during a meeting at the Presidential Residence, RSF, July 2025, https://rsf.org/en/colombia-rsf-calls-end-hostile-rhetoric-government-and-plan-support-journalism-during-meeting

[10] “Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 2024”, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2025, https://cdn.wan-ifra.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/19025030/IA2024RELE_EN.pdf

[11] Colombia: Urgent action needed to end widespread violence against human rights defenders – UN report, UN, March 2026, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/colombia-urgent-action-needed-end-widespread-violence-against-human-rights   

[12] Colombian journalists face new challenges with digital attacks on the rise, IJnet, October 2018, https://ijnet.org/en/story/colombian-journalists-face-new-challenges-digital-attacks-rise 

[13] Columbia: Corruption, censorship and bullet points for ethical journalism, Ethical Journalism Network, https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/colombia