Network Solutions threatens Dominican newspaper over article.

BY LATINVEX STAFF

A majority of chief economists surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) expect weak growth in Latin America and the Caribbean for the remainder of 2025.

“The region continues to face tighter global financial conditions, slowing demand from key trading partners and persistent geopolitical tensions, all of which are weighing on investment and consumer confidence,” the forum says in connection with the release of the May 2025 Chief Economists Outlook.

WEF points out that the survey is published at a time of extraordinary volatility and uncertainty.

“Since the beginning of the year, the global economic outlook has darkened,” it says. “Trade policy has been at the center of spiraling economic uncertainty, with the announcement in early April of unprecedented increases in bilateral tariffs between the US and many other countries. Most have since been paused for 90 days, which has led to a significant easing of short-term concerns, particularly in financial markets. However, underlying uncertainty about US economic policy persists, and it remains to be seen what will happen when the pauses elapse.” 

In March 2025, consumer sentiment in Latin American countries fell sharply. Against this backdrop, the IMF projects that, after a moderate expansion of 2.4% in 2024, regional growth will slow to 2.0% this year, following a downward revision of 0.5 percentage points attributable to a confluence of external shocks, most notably the imposition of new tariffs by the US. Argentina stands out, with signs that a series of fiscal and structural reforms are Africa and the Middle East starting to stabilize the economy. The IMF expects Argentina to grow by 5.5% this year, with a slowdown in inflation to 35.9% in 2025 and 14.5% in 2026.

Fiscal space remains constrained in many economies in the region, limiting policy-makers’ ability to cushion shocks or support growth. Over two-thirds of chief economists surveyed (68%) expect fiscal policy to remain broadly unchanged. Inflationary pressures are easing in much of the region but remain a concern in a number of countries, particularly where structural imbalances persist. Across the region as a whole, 38% of respondents expect inflation to remain high, while 55% anticipate moderate levels. Monetary policy is expected to remain either unchanged (50%) or become looser (39%), according to the surveyed chief economists.

NETWORK SOLUTIONS THREATENS DOMINICAN NEWSPAPER

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Dominican Society of Newspapers (SDD) condemned a threat by US-based domain company Network Solutions against Dominican newspaper Listin Diario (considered the dean of newspapers in the Caribbean country).

Network Solutions did not respond to a request for comment from Latinvex.

According to the newspaper itself, the company Network Solutions, which operates the platform hosting its digital domain, issued an ultimatum on May 13 demanding the removal, within 48 hours, of a news article published on March 22, 2024.

The article in question reported on the admission of charges by Lisandro José Macarrulla Martínez, within the framework of the Medusa case, an investigation into alleged administrative corruption between 2016 and 2020 that has received extensive coverage by the national press.

The article included Macarrulla Martínez’s statement regarding his guilty plea before Judge Amauri Martínez in a case of administrative corruption. Essentially, he admitted to having paid bribes for the construction of one of the modules at Las Parras prison and explained how the irregular negotiation had been arranged.

Similar articles were published by various media outlets in the Dominican Republic, both print and digital.

“Giving in to a threat like the one we received would have set a disastrous precedent: the possibility of arbitrarily erasing the informational memory of independent journalism,” stated tan editorial in Listin Diario, entitled “Thank you for being on the side of freedom!”

Macarrulla Martínez is the son of Lisandro Macarrulla, who had served as chief of staff of President Luis Abinader until he resigned in August 2022 after the charges became known.

The warning from Network Solutions to Listín Diario stated that, if the content was not removed, the hosting service would be suspended, based on an alleged violation of its terms of use. Faced with this threat, the newspaper began the process of migrating to another provider to preserve its archive.  On May 26, Listin announced that it had successfully found a new domain administrator.

IAPA President José Roberto Dutriz,  CEO and general director of La Prensa Gráfica in El Salvador, stated that “such pressures constitute a growing risk to the free exercise of journalism and can lead to forms of self-censorship motivated by fear of reprisals.”

Martha Ramos, president of IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, and editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), warned that “it is concerning that private companies can act as indirect mechanisms of censorship, removing legitimate content under pressure from particular interests. These situations recall patterns we have already seen in countries with severe restrictions on press freedom.”

Both IAPA executives recalled that Principle 10 of the Declaration of Salta II Principles of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age establishes that: ” The suppression or de-indexing of information on matters of public interest undermines the citizens’ right to be informed and preserve collective memory.”

The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.

Meanwhile, the Macarullo family expressed surprise by the threat from Network Solutions and denied it was behind it.  “The internet is full of this news, so why Listín and why me?” Lisandro Macarrulla told the Sol de la Mañana radio program on May 16.

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