Borjas had previously stated that the government was paying the newspaper to publish defamatory statements against the main opposition presidential candidates. On 10 November the Radio Quassar reporter Cesar Romero was shot in a leg when he and the driver of the vehicle in which he was travelling were forced to remove some stones left in middle of the road. On 22 November the daily Referendum began publishing again with a completely new staff and a new openly pro-government line. The owners claimed to have sacked all independent journalists due to financial problems. The paper began publishing again on 25 October, but its housing and computer chiefs left soon after, following the publication of apparent criticism of Estrada.
Editorial staff are to receive manuals on 'fair, accurate and balanced reporting'.