LETTER FROM SAN JOSÉ

President Rodrigo Chaves's weekly press conference is aired every Wednesday at noon, like a regular news broadcast. The program headlines are announced before the leader "respectfully greets the media present." Standing behind his lectern, like a teacher, he calls on ministers "to report to the people."

A host, whose face is never shown, sets the pace for these segments by introducing videos about government projects, which take journalistic conventions and turn them into promotional clips. Between these segments, the head of state speaks, congratulates himself and his ministers, but above all criticizes, insults, and publicly names individuals – often the same ones: the president of the Legislative Assembly, the prosecutor, judges, and especially journalists.

Although the format borrows heavily from talk shows, it is officially a press conference, with accredited journalists allowed to ask questions at the end of the two-hour event. This section veers between unconvincing idealism and a heated free-for-all.

Chaves reserves his attacks for three traditional media outlets and a handful of journalists, such as Alvaro Murillo, a correspondent for El Pais and a freelancer in the national press: "He has accused me at least three times, even when I wasn't at his conference, of trying to harm Costa Rica's image in El Pais. He silences colleagues or makes fun of them." For Chaves, these journalists, among the most respected, have hidden agendas, whether political or economic.

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