Ecuador Daily Expreso Ends Print Run After 53 Years
PRESS FREEDOM · ECUADOR
Key Facts
- —The country Ecuador, a dollarised Andean economy of about 18 million people, is a close US partner on security, trade and migration.
- —Why it matters Expreso was one of the country’s main critical newspapers. Press-freedom groups link the end of print to a year of state pressure.
- —Why now The last printed copy circulated on Friday 9 October, Guayaquil’s independence holiday, after 53 years in print.
- —What happened Publisher Gráficos Nacionales (Granasa) ended the Expreso print edition and kept the paper online. Its tabloid sister, Extra, still prints.
- —The numbers Granasa executives say about 70% of advertising was lost. Nine properties carry a combined base price of US$17.35 million, per Ecuavisa.
- —What it means for you Investors and visitors lose a daily paper check on government power in Ecuador’s business capital. Expreso’s website keeps publishing.
- —Still open Shareholders meet on Tuesday 13 October to decide on selling buildings and the company’s brands. The government’s response is not known.
Ecuador’s Guayaquil daily Expreso printed its last paper edition on Friday 9 October, ending 53 years on newsstands. The Expreso print edition closed after what its publisher calls a year of state pressure. For US readers, it is a test of press freedom in one of Washington’s closest partners in South America.
The paper will continue online. Its owner, Gráficos Nacionales S.A. (Granasa), also publishes the tabloid Extra, which keeps both its print and digital editions.
Officially, Granasa says the decision follows “a process of financial review of the company”, according to La República and Vistazo. Its executives and press-freedom groups go further. They say government agencies drove away advertisers and tied the company up in audits and court cases.
A Last Edition on a Holiday
Expreso was founded in 1973, during Ecuador’s military dictatorship, the paper recalled in a farewell editorial. That editorial ran on the morning of the final print day.
“We are leaving paper behind, but not the vocation to inform,” the editorial said. It promised readers the same news on phones, tablets and computers.
The final copy coincided with the holiday marking Guayaquil’s independence. Dozens of former journalists, photographers and editors gathered that morning in the city’s Plaza San Francisco to mark the day, Expreso reported. It was a farewell between colleagues, not a protest, participants told the paper.
Ecuador uses the US dollar, so all figures below are in US dollars.
A Year of State Pressure, Granasa Says
Granasa’s account of the dispute, published by Expreso on 9 October, dates the pressure to 8 September 2025. On that day, the tax authority (SRI) issued reports on the company’s newspaper distributors.
The Attorney General’s Office then opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged tax fraud and money laundering. Fundamedios, an Ecuadorian press-freedom group, counted seven raids by prosecutors in September 2025 linked to the tax case. Granasa says expert reviews of its accounts found no irregularities.
On 18 February 2026, the Superintendency of Companies, the corporate regulator, placed Granasa under administrative intervention. The request came from Inmobiliar, a state property agency attached to the Presidency, which holds 2.56% of the shares.
Granasa executives say the company lost about 70% of its advertising during the dispute. Its executive president, Galo Martínez Leisker, told the Inter American Press Association in April of “another kind of harassment” aimed at advertisers. These are the company’s claims, not established facts.
The government’s shareholding is now overseen by José Julio Neira, secretary general of public administration since June, La Prensa reported. Inmobiliar transferred the stake, valued at US$64,000, to the Presidency in March. Granasa has sued Neira for moral damages, seeking US$1 million.
The president is Daniel Noboa, a centre-right businessman who has led Ecuador since November 2023. His government had made no public statement on the closure, La República noted on 7 October.
The US Voice in the Dispute
The loudest outside reaction came from Miami. The Inter American Press Association (SIP), a publishers’ group based there, issued a statement on Monday 5 October.
Its president, Pierre Manigault, heads Evening Post Publishing in Charleston, South Carolina. “When state actions help weaken the viability and independence of a critical outlet, all of society loses,” he said.
He urged Ecuador to “cease any form of direct or indirect harassment” against Expreso, Extra and their journalists. Martha Ramos, who chairs the group’s press-freedom committee, said indirect economic pressure “can be as effective at silencing critical voices as open censorship”.
The statement is advocacy, not a court finding. It still matters to US investors, who price Ecuador’s bonds partly on institutions and the rule of law.
What It Means for You
For readers abroad, little changes in practice. Expreso’s website and social channels keep publishing news from Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and main port.
For investors, the case adds to questions about how regulators and prosecutors are used in Ecuador. Read it alongside other recent pressures on business, such as Ecuador Power Cuts Hit Industry Over 9 October Holiday.
For travellers and expatriates, Guayaquil loses a local print source on crime, power cuts and city services. Extra, the sister tabloid, remains on paper. Courts also remain active: see Ecuador Judge Acquits 32 Fishermen in US Boat Case.
What Is Not Known
The outcome of the shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday 13 October is not known. Shareholders are to decide on selling nine properties and the company’s brands.
Those properties have a combined base price of US$17.35 million, Ecuavisa reported, as cited by the SIP. Expreso says current and labour liabilities were close to US$7 million in August, by internal records. Neither figure has been independently audited.
It is not known how many staff lose their jobs, or whether workers will be paid in full. Fundamedios says one party is interested in buying Expreso, according to La República, but no name has been given.
The government’s side of the dispute is also missing. La República found no government statement on the closure as of 7 October. Any later reply from the Presidency or the Superintendency is not known.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Expreso stop printing?
The last Expreso print edition circulated on Friday 9 October 2026, after 53 years. The newspaper continues online, and its sister tabloid Extra keeps printing.
Why did Expreso end its print edition?
Its publisher, Granasa, cites a financial review. Its executives and the Inter American Press Association blame a year of state audits, investigations and an intervention that drove advertisers away.
What happens next to Expreso?
Granasa shareholders meet on Tuesday 13 October to decide on selling buildings and brands to pay workers and suppliers. A buyer has shown interest, Fundamedios says.
Sources: Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa, La SIP lamenta el fin de la edición impresa de Expreso; Expreso, repaso por el hostigamiento estatal a Granasa and farewell editorial; La República, Expreso dejaría de imprimirse el 9 de octubre; Vistazo, Diario Expreso dejará de circular en papel; La Prensa, José Julio Neira controla USD 64.000 en acciones de Expreso.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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