El Faro -- El Salvador's quality online news source

My most trusted source of information about politics and the news of El Salvador is the online periodical El Faro. Carlos Dada, founder of El Faro, recently described the work of El Faro in ReVista, the Harvard review of Latin America. He explained the role of independent media like El Faro:

It is often said that there is no democracy without independent media; but the opposite is also true: there are no independent media without a democracy. Today, the democratic processes of the Central American countries are at risk. The levels of violence, impunity and victimization are alarmingly high, and citizens demonstrate, in poll after poll, less hope and more inclination to support other types of regimes if they can guarantee safety and a decent living. Democracy, they say, has not been able to satisfy those basic needs.

The problem, of course, is that democratic institutions have not been able to deliver a better life for citizens. Even though we have registered great achievements since the end of the armed conflicts, the status of institutions in Central America has regressed in most cases and stalled in El Salvador, the healthiest country in that context.

We strongly believe that independent media play a crucial role in demanding accountability and pointing out what is not being done right in the state institutions. Thus, we put a strong emphasis on investigating corruption and abuse of power.

I'll be continuing to look to El Faro for stories to share with readers of this blog.