Event Summary
On 21 January 2026 during an episode of the political podcast Sin Protocolos, a communication platform launched by senior officials of the Government of Ecuador, the Secretary of Public Administration, Cynthia Gellibert, publicly stated that she was an “enemy of the media.” The statement was made in the context of a conversation about her relationship with the press and communication. The remark was widely circulated on social media and reported by national media outlets, sparking public debate and widespread criticism online. Subsequently, the official issued a clarification in which she maintained that her comment referred to certain media practices and not to journalism as a whole.
Her statements were made in a context in which the Government has made its discomfort with the work of the media evident, expressed through criticisms of the journalistic coverage of its administration by private media outlets. In this case, Gellibert made her remarks on a podcast entitled Sin Protocolos, co-hosted with Zaida Rovira, Minister of Human Development and also part of President Noboa’s close circle. In this regard, the statements take on institutional relevance, as they involve a public official with direct responsibilities in the administration of the State and in the political leadership of the ruling party. It should be noted that Gellibert and Rovira stated that the podcast was not produced using public resources and does not constitute an institutional communication platform. These statements reinforce a climate of confrontation that primarily affects journalists, media workers, and media outlets, who have already seen their ability to access official information restricted, to the detriment of their investigative work. Likewise, the use of this rhetoric may entail potential future consequences for civil society organizations that monitor the exercise of freedom of expression, access to information, and accountability—particularly with regard to the presidential administration.
The podcast, published on 21 January 2026, is no longer publicly accessible following criticism circulated on social media and in the media.