Ever since the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) toppled the fifty-year-old dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza Debayle in Nicaragua in July, 1979, the United States press has paid consistent close attention to civil liberties issues, especially press freedom, in assessing the course of the revolution. On the heels of the FSLN victory, the Establishment media's attitude toward the newly reconstituted Central American state was one of suprised approval: This leftist regime had embarked on a unique form of reconstruction marked by a mixed economy and genuine respect for civil liberties. During the past two years, however, watchful anticipation has given way to stern judgment. Now, when reporting on the new government's human rights and civil liberties record, these press observers tend to picture a repressive, one-party state.