Rodolfo Garcia

An influential reporter for the Associated Press, Rodolfo Garcia was best known for his calm, objective outlook and for his involvement in generating media attention for the Nicaraguan civil war, chronicling the changes within the country and the lives of the people.

Born in Nandasmo, Masaya Department, Nicaragua, Garcia first joined the Associated Press in 1986, having previously worked as a director of short-wave broadcasting for Radio Nicaragua and as a founding member of a local news agency, the Agencia de Noticias Nueva Nicaragua. As a reporter for the AP, Garcia covered a number of high profile stories that launched him to celebrity status, including the power struggle between the Sandinista National Liberation Front and the oppositional force, the Contras. In 1996, Garcia reported on Pope John Paul II’s visit to Nicaragua and, in 1998, he described the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Mitch.

Garcia attended the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. His time spent in the country’s capital offered him a glimpse into current affairs and gave him the progressive attitude that proved an asset for him as a reporter. His un-biased, impartial sensitivity could only have come from the exposure of local and global issues he obtained while in Managua.

In 1999, Garcia, who suffered from diabetes and cancer, struggled with a series of illnesses that greatly aggravated his pre-existing problems and, by March of 2000, the reporter was hospitalized. By March 13, 2000, at the age of 58, Rodolfo Garcia’s strength had reached its limit and he died in the company of his loved ones, leaving behind an impressive legacy in journalism.