Just as the space for a free press has become limited in Nicaragua, the country’s youth now has its own source of unbiased, hard-hitting news. La brújula, a free weekly news magazine launched in November 2008, is aimed at 18–35-year-olds—a demographic that editor-in-chief Arturo Wallace claims has been ignored by the country’s media. Wallace, a media professor and former BBC journalist, and his three-person staff publish original reporting from Nicaragua and abroad, along with art and music coverage that appeals to an increasingly sophisticated younger audience. That target group is a crucial demographic—nearly 40 percent of the country’s population.
Despite Nicaragua’s increasingly politicized environment, la brújula has managed to avoid confrontation with the government. Its readership includes both those for and against President Daniel Ortega. “We’re not trying to change anything in the next year…we’re trying to create a generation of educated people,” says Wallace.
The magazine is available at universities across Nicaragua and online at www.labrujula.com.ni.
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