[2] In April 2023, El Faro moved its administrative and legal operations to San José, Costa Rica, registering the newsroom as the non-profit Fundación Periódica.

This has permitted El Faro to maintain an editorial stance critical of different governments, whether left- or right-leaning, who have alternated in power since the news outlet was founded.

Dada has served as editorial director since the outlet's founding, with the exception of six years: The newsroom was helmed from September 2014 until December 2020 by Spanish journalist José Luis Sanz.

[9] In 2011, El Faro founded Sala Negra, an investigative team that gained widespread acclaim for its coverage of violence and public security in Central America, with a focus on gangs, drug trafficking and organized crime.

In addition to providing socio-political information on Central America to international policymakers, researchers and academics, NGO and aid workers, and journalists, El Faro English seeks to serve and gain relevance in diaspora communities through original reporting focused on their migratory history and processes, political and cultural evolution, current ties to their countries of origin, and the U.S. policies affecting their lives and the future of Central America.

Since 2010, El Faro has organized the Central American Journalism Forum (ForoCAP), an annual gathering open to the public where journalists from across the hemisphere meet for professional training, to debate industry issues, and to find solutions to shared challenges.