By Eileen Truax Eileen is a journalist specialising in migration working with Thomson Media on Moving Voices - a project looking at cross border issues affecting Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
On Sunday, November 7th, 2021 Nicaragua will hold national elections for President, Congress, and local authorities. These elections will take place in a context of weakened institutions, with an electoral system and rules that tilt heavily in favour of the incumbent Daniel Ortega, who has ruled continuously since 2007, and his party the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
This election will be carefully observed by the international community. Since widespread anti-government protests erupted in Nicaragua in April 2018, more than 300 citizens have been killed by government forces and paramilitary groups aligned with them. The Ortega government has adopted several repressive laws that restrict civic space and political rights in the country.
The rise of an anti-migrant, racist and nationalist narrative. Costa Rica, its southern neighbouring country, has a particular interest in how this election unfolds. Since 2016, it has become a frequent destination for Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, among others, but the largest number of migrants are from Nicaragua, three out of every four migrants living in Costa Rica are Nicaraguans. In the first year after the protests of 2018, more than 70,000 individuals were forced to flee Nicaragua including at least 70 journalists; in Costa Rica alone, 55,500 people requested international protection.
In this context, Costa Rica has seen the rise of an anti-migrant, racist and nationalist narrative to describe people coming from Nicaragua, with the media -and especially social media- adding to the anti-migrant sentiment. The amplifying effect that mainstream media has created by reproducing and normalising this violent, anti-migrant rhetoric, has helped to increase and spread this narrative further.
However the media still maintains a powerful position in our society and there's so much that can be done by journalists to present a fair, humane perspective of migration and migrants. They have the power to improve the lives of the vulnerable people by explaining the immediate story about what's happening, who's affected and what help is needed but also by looking at the background to the migration, the story behind the story.
Journalists key role Migration is not only about the movement of people from one place to another. The whole cycle of migration includes the reasons why people decide to flee. It may be for economic reasons but domestic or gender violence, medical needs, or religious diversity can also play a role. It includes the circumstances they were facing in their original countries and the decision-making process, what their hopes are for their future and how they adapt to living in their destination countries once the have arrived. Furthermore, the migration process does not end when the journey is finished; in many ways that's just the beginning of a new stage of the whole migration cycle.
Journalism plays a key role in supporting and building social cohesion, lessening division, and enlightening people. Telling the stories of those who migrated some time ago, those who are already part of their new society, can help the community to understand the motivations of those who are just arriving, so too the benefits that migration has represented for the economic, social, and intellectual development for the destination communities.
The human voice In recent years as a migration journalist, I have been part of efforts to train journalists to approach the subject of migration in a different way. The latest project, Moving Voices, run by Thomson Media aims to train journalists on nuanced and human-centric reporting on migration and cross-border issues between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. With the support of La Voz de Guanacaste, a local publication in Costa Rica that has pushed for a more fair and humane migration narrative, we've been working with dozens of journalists eager to find new tools and resources to change the them versus us rhetoric coming from the political arena, to question and challenge it.
The international media, especially the media in Costa Rica, can also challenge these practices and support any effort to remove politics when talking about migration. The international media community has a role in condemning anti-democratic practices when they happen in so-called democratic countries. In democracies, we cannot keep our eyes closed -nor our borders- to those who are risking their lives for the values that we have pledged to live by.
Eileen Truax is a journalist and writer specialising in migration and politics. Born in Mexico she spent many years working as a journalist in the United States of America. She is now based in Barcelona, Spain.
Moving Stories This project run by Thomson Media with partner La Voz de Guanacaste aims to increase nuanced and human-centric reporting on migration and cross-border issues in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. By fostering balanced, in-depth and empathetic reporting of stigmatised communities, the project seeks to promote social cohesion. It is funded by the British Embassy in San Jos .
All photos courtesy of C sar Arroyo (La Voz de Guanacaste)
Related content
Hidden from view: Reporting on human trafficking and modern slavery
Reporting on refugees: Belonging and unbelonging
Quiet reportage: documenting the migrant experience
Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
By Eileen Truax Eileen is a journalist specialising in migration working with Thomson Media on Moving Voices - a project looking at cross border issues affecting Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
