Chile's military government shuts opposition radio stations and newspapers after the 1973 coup
On the day of the September 11, 1973 military coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, Chile's armed forces bombed and shut down radio stations that opposed the takeover, arrested journalists and closed newspapers aligned with the ousted government, under the military junta led by Augusto Pinochet.123
- Country
- Chile (RSF 2026 rank: 70th of 180)
- Where
- CL
- Level of government
- National
- Tactics
- Shutdowns and blocking, Detention and violence
- Stage
- Silence (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Augusto Pinochet
- Issue of the day
- Chile's armed forces were in the process of overthrowing President Salvador Allende's elected government on September 11, 1973, and moved to suppress broadcasters and newspapers that continued to support him as the coup unfolded.
- Outcome
- Sustained, March 1, 1990. Press restrictions continued under military rule until Chile's return to civilian government in March 1990, after Pinochet lost a 1988 plebiscite on his continued rule.
- Era
- The 1970s
What happened
On September 11, 1973, Chile's armed forces, led by General Augusto Pinochet, moved to overthrow the elected government of President Salvador Allende. As the coup unfolded, the military moved against radio stations that continued broadcasting statements opposing the takeover. Radio Magallanes was bombed and hit with gunfire around 10 a.m. and went off the air about 27 minutes later, with four of its journalists arrested in the raid. Radio Candelaria, the last station still opposing the coup, lost its signal shortly before the presidential palace, La Moneda, was bombed at 11:52 a.m. In the following days, the new military government shut down news outlets that had supported Allende's government and barred many journalists identified with them from working in Chile's now military-controlled press, forcing some into what one journalist later called internal exile and driving others abroad.123
What reason was given
The military junta that took power on September 11, 1973 treated broadcasters and newspapers that had supported Allende's government as extensions of a political order it had just overthrown, and moved to suppress them as part of securing control.123
What changed for reporting
Radio stations supporting Allende's government went off the air within hours of the coup, journalists were arrested during the takeover, and outlets aligned with the ousted government were shut down and their staff blacklisted from the Chilean press.2
Timeline
1973
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Augusto Pinochet | enforced | Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army and head of the governing military junta |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Radio Candelaria | outlet | affected |
| Radio Magallanes | outlet | affected |
Sources
- 'My September 11': On the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile, journalists remember living through the start of the dictatorship
- History of Censorship in Chile
Claims cited
- Radio Magallanes was bombed and hit with machine-gun fire around 10 a.m. on the day of the coup, going off the air about 27 minutes later after four of its journalists were arrested.
Less than an hour later, at 10 a.m., Radio Magallanes was bombed and hit with machine-guns.
'My September 11': On the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile, journalists remember living through the start of the dictatorship, LatAm Journalism Review, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas at Austin, 2023-09-11. Claim 147, checked 2026-09-22. - Radio Candelaria was the last station still opposing the coup to go off the air, losing its signal minutes before La Moneda, the presidential palace, was bombed.
Radio Candelaria was the last station opposing the coup to go off the air, losing its signal just minutes before La Moneda was bombed at 11:52 a.m.
'My September 11': On the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile, journalists remember living through the start of the dictatorship, LatAm Journalism Review, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas at Austin, 2023-09-11. Claim 148, checked 2026-09-22. - Journalists who had supported the constitutional government could not work in the newly military-controlled press once their names appeared on blacklists.
We couldn't work in the military-controlled press for two reasons: or rejection of the dictatorship and our names being on 'blacklists'
'My September 11': On the 50th anniversary of the coup in Chile, journalists remember living through the start of the dictatorship, LatAm Journalism Review, Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, University of Texas at Austin, 2023-09-11. Claim 149, checked 2026-09-22.