Special events are often good opportunities for journalists to explore the most important issues and challenges facing the profession, learn new techniques and tools, and, of course, strengthen their network of professional connections.
As has become tradition, LatAm Journalism Review brings you a list of the most prominent journalism-related events in the region and other parts of the world that often open spaces for professionals from Latin America. Some even offer scholarships to help attendees participate.
Remember you can share information about an event that doesn’t appear on the list or provide additional information about any of them. Write to us at latamjournalismreview@austin.utexas.edu.
Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 in Cartagena, Colombia
One of the events that kicks off the annual calendar will bring together more than 180 participants from 25 countries to learn and discuss art, culture, literature and journalism. Latin American journalists such as Leila Guerriero, Denise Maerker, Carlos F. Chamorro and Diana Calderón will join other internationally recognized figures such as Jan Martínez Ahrens, Javier Moreno and Annie Jacobsen.
Some conversations will focus on narratives that connect the global south, journalism beyond the “Anglocentric world,” storytelling around memory, truth and history, ethical coverage of socio-environmental conflicts, journalism from exile, and success stories such as Radio Ambulante.
In addition, during the festival the winner of the Michael Jacobs Traveling Chronicle Fellowship is announced. The fellowship has been awarded by the festival and the Gabo Foundation since 2014.
March 19 to 21 in Bogotá, Colombia
For more than a decade, the Colombian organization Consejo de Redacción has held the Investigative Journalism Conference, which has established itself as a benchmark not only in Colombia but across Latin America. It is a space where “the local dialogues with the transnational and where journalists from different generations share experiences, lessons and ways of narrating the world.”
The 2026 edition will be the eighteenth and carries the theme Hacking threats and challenges. “Hacking the craft begins by dismantling old codes and learning to read the cracks where new stories are born,” the event website says.
Nearly 300 participants will gather to discuss authoritarianism, disinformation, financial sustainability and the impact of artificial intelligence.
April 15 to 18 in Perugia, Italy
Perugia, Italy, has already become a must-visit meeting place for journalists from around the world.
The event program will be available in March. The deadline to participate as a presenter has already closed; however, proposals for organizing a side event can still be submitted.
The 2025 edition featured 214 sessions and 580 speakers. Topics centered on the use of artificial intelligence, journalism funding, disinformation and press freedom. Notably, in 2025 one panel was dedicated to press freedom in Latin America.
Most sessions are held in English, although each day includes sessions in Italian. The event is free and does not require registration to attend. For more information, you can subscribe to the newsletter or write directly to the festival.
April 15-16 in Bogota, Colombia
Organized by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), Digital Media for Latin America is coming to Colombia.
Over two days, discussions will focus on how AI is reshaping newsrooms; the connection between content, producers and business strategy for sustainable business models; how to monetize more intelligently; and the impact of younger audiences on consumption habits, among other topics.
The special invitation is extended to those who lead media organizations in areas such as editorial, product strategy, technology, audience engagement and business.
Participation has a cost, with special rates for early registration and for those who are members.
The winners of the Digital Media Americas Awards will be announced during the event.
May 27 - 28, virtual
With the aim of analyzing the trends, risks and opportunities linked to the phenomenon of disinformation, the Desconfío Project (Argentina), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), and the Foundation for Journalism (Bolivia) will host the 6th Global Summit on Disinformation.
The event, which is virtual and free, typically addresses topics such as the crisis of trust in journalism, new patterns of disinformation, the role of artificial intelligence, foreign manipulation in democracies, and the sustainability of journalism, among others. The 2026 edition will explore these and other topics from an updated perspective.
The Summit features simultaneous translation (English – Spanish) to ensure a wider reach. Previous editions have attracted more than 8,000 participants and 130 experts in the field.
Registration will open soon and the agenda for the two days will be announced.
Sept. 17 - 18 in Austin, Texas
Founded by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas 27 years ago, this symposium has become a benchmark for global digital journalism. Thanks to its distinctive format that brings together journalists, media executives and academics from around the world, the symposium provides an ideal space to discuss the digital revolution and to build bridges between the industry and academia. It will be held in person and online from the University of Texas at Austin, and the dates will be announced soon. All sessions are held in English with live interpretation into Spanish.
You can receive updated information by subscribing to the Knight Center newsletter.
Sept. 19 in Austin, Texas
To provide a space for participants arriving at the International Symposium on Online Journalism from Latin America, Spain and Portugal, the Knight Center decided to offer a more informal meeting in Spanish on the day following the closing of the symposium, in the form of a colloquium.
It will hold its nineteenth edition in 2026. It will also be held in person and online from the University of Texas at Austin. All sessions are conducted in Spanish.
All people registered for the International Symposium on Journalism may participate in the Colloquium.
The Colloquium program is not yet available, but you can stay up to date through the International Symposium on Journalism newsletter.
Journalism and technology are becoming increasingly interdependent. This event, which aims to facilitate "the convergence between the media industry and technology in an innovative, international and practical way," is undoubtedly a must-attend event on any journalist's calendar.
Usually lasting three days, participants attend workshops, hackathons and talks, but above all, they connect with journalists from around the world to learn how to best incorporate technology into their work.
The most recent Media Party took place in Buenos Aires from Oct. 2 to 4, with over 1,000 people in attendance.
The 2026 dates are not yet available.
The “celebration of journalism and literature” that the Gabo Festival has become cannot be left off the list of the most important journalism events in the Spanish speaking world. The event is organized by the Gabo Foundation, created by Colombian journalist and Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez together with Jaime Abello Banfi in 1995.
The festival usually takes place in midyear in Bogotá, Colombia. The official dates for 2026 have not yet been announced. Last year, 15,000 participants attended more than 100 festival events.
In addition, the Gabo Award for the best journalism work in Ibero-America is presented during the festival. The call for submissions for 2026 will open soon.
The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism has hosted this international congress, which reaches its twenty-first edition this year.
Through January 31, the call is open for anyone to contribute to the program for this edition, as well as for Data Sunday, which is usually held on the final day of the congress and features workshops on data journalism and presentations explaining methodologies used in data-driven investigations.
The event takes place in São Paulo, and the dates will be announced soon.
The world’s largest fact-checking conference will convene in Lithuania in 2026 for its thirteenth edition.
Organized by the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, Global Fact aims to bring fact-checkers from around the world together to discuss the most important challenges facing the industry, exchange best practices and develop collaborative solutions that help strengthen the information ecosystem.
Registration, as well as the dates and the full program, will be announced soon. Organizers have also launched the official event website, which will be available shortly.
Colpin, organized by the Press and Society Institute, has earned its place as one of the most important investigative journalism gatherings in the region. The annual event brings together for four days more than 300 journalists from across the region, editors, academics and freedom of expression advocates to debate, learn and innovate in their field.
The dates for the 2026 event have not yet been defined, but it usually takes place in the final quarter of the year.
During Colpin, the Javier Valdez Latin American Investigative Journalism Award is also presented. Applications for this award, which recognizes “courage, excellence and impact” in the best investigations on the continent, usually close in midyear.
