PANAMA CITY—Journalists are condemning a blockade in Panama by a group of construction workers who parked heavy equipment in front of the offices of the newspaper La Prensa to prevent distribution of its papers.

The workers were protesting a series of stories by the newspaper about how their company appears to have been favored in government contracts. Employees of the company Transcaribe Trading said the paper's expose threatens their jobs.

About 20 trucks and bulldozers prevented delivery vehicles from leaving the newspaper's Panama City offices to distribute papers. The blockade was lifted a few hours after it was installed late Thursday.

The Inter-American Press Society said Friday that the blockade is an attack on press freedom.