Media: According to Freedom House 2010, the Nicaraguan Constitution provides for freedom of the press, but it also allows for some forms of restriction, including libel laws. During 2008, privately owned media criticising the government have fallen victim to what Reporters Without Borders characterises as a 'witch-hunt' in an open letter to the President from October 2008. The campaign of defamation against media is led by the President Oretga himself, who accused the independent media and opposition press of being 'enemies of the government' who are 'terrorists, agents of the CIA', according to Freedom House 2010. Harassment of the media has increased with at least 20 journalists and 5 independent radio stations attacked in 2008 following the municipal elections. Although some newspapers are partisan and generally tow either PLC or FSLN party lines, Nicaragua has a large number of newspapers, radio and television stations. According to Freedom House 2010, investigative journalism plays a major role in exposing corruption and political misconduct, but cases of harassment such as judges intimidating and restricting reporters from publishing certain stories often result in self-censorship. On the other hand, some journalists are reported to take bribes too. Reporters Without Borders 2010 ranks Nicaragua 83rd out of 178 countries, while Freedom House ranks Nicaragua 95th out of 196 countries and describes the countries press environment as 'partly free' on the Freedom of the Press Index 2010.

Civil Society: According to a 2008 article by Reporters Without Borders, the climate in which NGOs work worsened in 2008 under President Ortega. Charges of fraud and money laundering were reportedly brought against 17 NGOs on political grounds and the presidents of 2 NGOs were physically assaulted when exiting the prosecutor office where they had been accounting for their organisations. The assault was accredited to the Citizens' Power Council, an organisation formed in 2007 with the declared aim of strengthening local democracy, but in fact working as political organisation under the control of President Ortega's wife, Mrs. Rosario Murillo. According to Global Integrity 2008, threats and harassments against anti-corruption/good governance NGOs have grown since July 2008. There have been reports of such activists being violently attacked. The law allows anti-corruption NGOs to accept funding freely, both from international and domestic donors, however, in reality, the government restricts and scrutinises all foreign funding. Global Integrity 2009 also reports that opposition rallies and protests organised by CSOs have been attacked by FSLN supporters in order to silence opponents of the government. Global Integrity 2009 also cites a result from a 2008 national poll by CID Gallup, where more than half of the surveyed citizens believe that it is unsafe to express political opinions in public. According to the US Department of State 2010, human rights NGOs are allowed to operate freely without government intervention while NGOs that are deemed to pose a threat to the government are often being harassed with some alleging that their emails and telephones are being monitored by the government. Nevertheless, Global Integrity 2008 assesses the civil societies in Nicaragua as 'strong'.

Grupo Cívico Ética y Transparencia (in Spanish): Grupo Cívico Ética y Transparencia is the local chapter of Transparency International. The organisation has been successful in putting corruption on the agenda in Nicaragua, despite difficult working conditions in the form of limited access to information. The enactment of the Law on Access to Information of 2007 (see 'Public Anti-Corruption Initiatives' under the Initiatives section) should enable it to scrutinise the government's work more effectively and make it easier for it to detect cases of corruption. The group has been assigned as the Nicaraguan civil society component in the reviews conducted by the follow-up mechanism of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption (MESICIC). Grupo Cívico Ética y Transparencia produced a new internet tool that allows citizens to report on irregularities regarding electoral processes and any violations of civic or human rights.

Coordinadora Civil (in Spanish): Coordinadora Civil is a coalition of 350 social movements, NGOs, sectoral networks, territorial networks, producers' associations, unions and federations collaborating and articulating common goals and action plans for improving social development in Nicaragua. The work of Coordinadora Civil consists of monitoring the national budget and legal reforms and proposing strategies for social development, including the fight against corruption.

Probidad (in Spanish): Probidad was founded in El Salvador and expanded its activities to a range of Central American countries, including Nicaragua. In 2007, however, Probidad stopped its operations due to the lack of funds, members and personnel. In March 2009, its website was re-opened to maintain public access to its archive of reports and publications. The organisation played a watchdog role and worked to increase public awareness of corruption. Probidad was funded by foreign donors and governments, multilateral organisations and private individuals. It was involved in the development of a programme to prevent corruption in the civil service together with the Oficina de Ética Pública.