In December, our team came across a shocking story relating to freedom of religion or belief in Nicaragua. This is how we verified the news and sent it global.
Signs photographed in bus stations in Costa Rica revealed that the international transport company Tica Bus had added Bibles to a list of items that tourists were not permitted to bring into Nicaragua.
We drafted a press release without delay, but something about the photograph looked a little off: the word ‘Biblias’ (Bibles) did not appear to be in the same font, or aligned in the same way, as the other prohibited items. We also questioned why we could only find one news outlet that had reported on such an outrageous story so far. Our internal alarm bell began to ring.
In an age of rampant misinformation and misleading AI-generated imagery, we had to be sure that what we were about to report was genuine – as indeed we always do.
Our team swiftly messaged Tica Bus branches across Central America. Representatives from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras all confirmed the policy’s existence, with one stating: ‘Nicaragua does not permit the entry of Bibles, newspapers, magazines, books of any kind, drones and cameras.’
Confident that the information and photo we had were reliable, we hit ‘send’ – breaking the news to our list of press contacts and on our website. The coverage that followed was staggering. At least 105 different outlets in at least 28 different countries have reported on it – in some cases more than once. If we hadn’t taken the time to verify, investigate and spread the news, would so many people now know about it? We don’t doubt that it was the extra information and quotes from the Tica Bus representatives that made the story so credible, highlighting why it is so important to go the extra mile in our fact-checking.
At the time of writing, we are working to confirm with primary sources whether the Nicaraguan authorities appear to have changed the policy. We will continue monitoring the situation.
Your support enables our team to uncover, verify and amplify small but shocking stories like these. This is just one part of our advocacy strategy, but it is a vital one. Because if we want to change the story for those facing injustice, we must do all we can to make their stories heard.
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