Nicaraguan leftist newspaper resurrected?

Weekly Americas News Update, #421, 22 February 1998

On Feb. 6, the National Directorate of Nicaragua's leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) agreed to a plan floated earlier [see Update #418] to give up its total ownership of the daily newspaper Barricada, which was forced by financial problems to suspend publication on Jan. 30. A new company named Barricada will replace the current Editorial El Amanecer, which is wholly owned by the FSLN; control will be divided between a group of Sandinista business owners, several worker-owned companies, the FSLN and the newspaper's employees, who also received 60% of their back salaries. Some shares in the new company will be traded as public stock. Carlos Garcia Castillo, the head of the employees' group, said that the new publication would be "broad," making "room for all Sandinistas, whether or not they're members of the FSLN, and even for those who split from the party." Former editor Tomas Borge, the only surviving founder of the party, will have no role in the new paper, which the employees hope will resume publication on Mar. 1 or Mar. 7.

[Popol Na 2/7/98]