 The paper was the only media organization to endorse opposition candidate Arnulfo Arias over military leader Manuel Noriega's selection, Ardito Barletta, who was also backed and covertly funded by the United States, in the 1984 presidential election.In 1986, "La Prensa" was still the only newspaper publishing reports critical of military leader Manuel Noriega, including protesting the murder of Hugo Spadafora.The government consequently adopted a formal resolution condemning Eisenmann as a "traitor to the nation".