Silvia A. Higuera Flórez is a Colombian journalist who has written for the Knight Center since 2012. She is interested in covering Latin American issues and human rights, especially the right to freedom of expression, and investigative journalism. She studied Social Communication and Journalism at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Bucaramanga (Colombia), and received her Master's of Arts in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015. She worked with the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) under the Orlando Sierra fellowship during 2014. She also worked for the Colombian newspaper Vanguardia Liberal and wrote for different magazines about local, economic and public order issues. Her work has also appeared in The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald of Miami. Email: silvia.knightcenter@gmail.com
Silvia A. Higuera Flórez es una periodista colombiana que trabaja para el Centro Knight desde el 2012. Su interés periodístico es América Latina y los derechos humanos, particularmente el derecho a la libertad de expresión, así como el periodismo de investigación. Estudió Comunicación Social – Periodismo en la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana de Bucaramanga (Colombia), y recibió su maestría en Periodismo en la Universidad de Texas, en Austin en 2015. Trabajó para la Relatoría Especial para la Libertad de Expresión de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) en el marco de la beca Orlando Sierra, durante 2014. También hizo parte del diario Vanguardia Liberal y escribió para otras revistas colombianas cubriendo fuentes locales, económicas y judiciales. Algunos de sus trabajos han aparecido en The Miami Herald y El Nuevo Herald de Miami.
Silvia A. Higuera Flórez é uma jornalista colombiana e escreve para o Centro Knight desde 2012. Seu interesse jornalístico é a América Latina e os direitos humanos, nomeadamente o direito à liberdade de expressão. Estudou Comunicação Social – Jornalismo na Universidade Pontifícia Bolivariana de Bucaramanga, na Colômbia e completou seu mestrado em jornalismo na Universidade do Texas em Austin. Silvia trabalhou na Relatoria para a Liberdade de Expressão da CIDH pela bolsa Orlando Sierra, em 2014. Trabalhou para o jornal Vanguardia Liberal e escreveu para outras revistas colombianas cobrindo temas locais, econômicas e judiciárias. Alguns de seus trabalhos apareceram no The Miami Herald e no El Nuevo Herald de Miami.
Attacks on the press are undoubtedly one of the main challenges for media and journalists in Latin America. Talking about the state of digital journalism in the region also implies knowing the obstacles to press freedom. Journalists from Guatemala, Peru and Venezuela spoke about these challenges during the 17th Ibero-American Colloquium on Digital Journalism.
Journalists reporting in Slovakia, Haiti, Nigeria and Ukraine shared at the 25th International Symposium on Online Journalism about attacks on press freedom due to their coverage of corruption and violence.
From producing more solutions journalism stories, offering audiences spaces to participate in public life or reporting with a different approach from “them vs. us,” ISOJ panelists offered paths out of global polarization.
As part of its work to fight impunity in crimes against journalists, the Inter American Press Association launched the “Voices claiming justice” campaign. The first case highlighted in it is that of the Colombian journalist Gerardo Bedoya Borrero murdered in 1997 and whose crime remains unpunished.
The morning press conferences held by the Mexican president are part of a communication strategy recognized as “unique” not only in his country but in the region. And although they emerged as a promise to improve transparency and communication, their critics see them as spaces to attack the media, journalists and even spread disinformation.
José Rubén Zamora Marroquín has already spent more than 570 days in the Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala despite having his sentence annulled. Added to that is the fact that various national and international organizations have highlighted the violations of human rights and international law throughout his case. In what seems to be the most recent strategy […]
In the midst of the infodemic, media and journalists are called to be a kind of guide for audiences. However, they sometimes still fall into unintentionally publishing false information. These errors make the need for spaces for reflection on the ethical principles of the profession, including its responsibility to audiences and democracy, even more urgent, according to ethics experts.
The year 2023 saw a decrease in murders of journalists around the world: a trend also seen in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the significance of that statistic, expert voices point out that it does not represent an improvement in the conditions for practicing journalism and that it could lead to the phenomenon of zones of silence.
It has been 11 years since Ecuadorian journalist Fausto Valdiviezo was killed. His brother and experts believe that the case has not been solved because of a lack of investigation on the part of authorities because he was a journalist.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published its annual report on imprisoned journalists around the world. Although no country in Latin America and the Caribbean is on the list of “the worst jailers,” the report highlights three cases in the region and points out that media outlets and journalists there still face threats to carry out their work