Congress Provides Funds For La Prensa

Congress provides funds for La Prensa

The "essential" funding for the Nicaraguan opposition newspaper, La Prensa comes from the National Endowment for Democracy, a Washington-based tax-exempt funding agency which receives the majority of its money from the U.S. Congress (Ann Arbor News, 10/12/87).

La Prensa has received about $245,000 over the past two fiscal years from the endowment, according to Jaime Chamorro, La Prensa's General Manager. Chamorro also said that the paper would not be able to publish without these funds.

The endowment was established by Congress in 1983 after the proposal was initiated by President Reagan. In early Oct., 1987 the Senate voted to authorize $17.75 million to the endowment, $250,000 of which will go to fund opposition groups, press, and labor unions n Nicaragua. The House must still pass the authorization.