For "its professionalism and courage in the face of indiscriminate violence of the Daniel Ortega regime," the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) awarded the 2018 Press Freedom Grand Prize to independent journalism in Nicaragua, the organization announced on Sept. 5.
In the announcement, the IAPA also announced the winners in the other 13 categories of the 2018 Excellence in Journalism award, "which promotes the quality of content and its impact on society." Media and journalists from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela were among the winners. The IAPA highlighted that many of the winners are digital native media. (Editorial note: Find the list of winners at the end of this article).
In the case of the Nicaraguan press, the jury considered that, since April, it has "bravely faced pressures, intimidation and harassment, without losing heart and its rigorous denunciation of the violation of human rights and the indiscriminate violence of the Daniel Ortega regime."
Popular demonstrations against Ortega's administration that took to the streets starting in April have affected journalists who have repeatedly denounced being targets of death threats, physical aggressions, detentions, robbery and even the burning of their headquarters.
The most serious case was the murder of journalist Ángel Gahona who was covering a protest in Bluefields via Facebook Live when he was killed.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) through the Special Monitoring Mechanism for Nicaragua (Meseni) has registered "intimidation, harassment and threats against journalists" in the country and has urged the Government to put an end to the "repression." The IACHR also granted precautionary measures to the widow of Gahona and other press workers.
The president of the IAPA Awards Commission, Marcel Granier, of RCTV of Venezuela, said, "It has been a year of news events of relevance and that is reflected in the subjects of the works that won the awards."
The winners receive US $2,000 and a diploma. The award ceremony will take place during the next IAPA General Assembly from Oct. 19 to 22 in Salta, Argentina.
Below, find a list of the winning works and media outlets. To see a detailed description of each, you can go to the award page.
1. Cartoon
Trump Tweeting, Confidencial, Nicaragua. Author: Pedro Javier Molina Blandón.
Honorable mention: Ara San Juan. La Voz del Interior, Argentina. Author: Pablo Fernando Chumbita.
2. News Coverage on the Internet
Represión en Venezuela (Repression in Venezuela). NTN24 SAS, Colombia.
Honorable Mention: Protestas sociales (Social protests). La Crónica de Baja California, Mexico.
3. News Coverage
Protestas en Venezuela (Protests in Venezuela). El Estímulo, Venezuela.
Honorable Mention: Cobertura del sismo de Ciudad de México (Coverage of the Mexico City Earthquake). Pie de Página, Mexico.
4. Alejandro Miró Quesada Garland News Coverage on Mobile
El papa Francisco en Colombia. (Pope Francis in Colombia). El Tiempo, Colombia.
Honorable Mention: Protestas en Venezuela. (Protests in Venezuela). Te lo Cuento News, U.S.
5. Features
Las niñeras del Barrio 18. (The Babysitters of Barrio 18) Revista Factum, El Salvador. Author: Bryan Alexander Avelar Rodríguez.
1st Honorable Mention: En el barrio de San Judas Tadeo... Cuando vivir es un milagro. (In the San Judas Tadeo neighborhood...When living is a miracle) Semanario, Mexico. Author: Jesús Peña Sánchez.
2nd Honorable Mention: Seduced into slavery: How a Mexican family became sex traffickers. Thomson Reuters Foundation, U.S. Author: Anastasia Moloney.
6. Human Rights and Community Service
Cementerio Malvinas. (Malvinas Cemetery) Clarin.com, Argentina.
1st Honorable Mention: Monitor da Violência. (Monitor of Violence) G1, Núcleo de Estudos da Violência da USP, Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública, Brazil.
2nd Honorable Mention: Huérfanos de la salud. (Orphans of health) IPYS Venezuela, El Pitazo, Venezuela.
7. Photography
Lucha y esperanza: la tuberculosis en Lima. (Battle and hope: Tuberculosis in Lima) El País, Spain. Author: Omar Lucas
1st Honorable Mention: Huracán María. (Hurricane Maria) El Vocero de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. Author: Carlos Rivera Giusti.
2nd Honorable Mention: Protestas en Venezuela 2017. (Protests in Venezuela 2017). Agence France Presse, Mexico. Author: Ronaldo Schemidt.
8. Infographics
Misterio en el mar: el caso del submarino ARA San Juan. (Mystery at sea: The case of the submarine ARA San Juan). Clarin.com, Argentina.
1st Honorable Metnion: 52 años en pie de Guerra. (52 years on a war footing). eltiempo.com, Colombia.
2nd Honorable Mention: Renacer dentro de la Madre Tierra, el misterio del Temazcal. (To be reborn in Mother Earth, the Temazacal mystery) El Sol de México, Mexico. Author: Manuel Alejandro Oyervides Ayala.
9. Opinion
El tango de Caparrós y la momia de Lenin. (The Caparrás tango and the Lenin mummy) La Voz del Interior, Argentina. Author: Edgardo Ramón Moreno.
1st Honorable Mention: Serie sobre violencia de género. (52 years on a war footing). El Tiempo, Colombia. Author: Group work.
2nd Honorable Mention: Temblor: historia negra del mercado negro. (Tremor: Black history of the black market). Diario de Cuba, Spain. Author: Lianet Fleites Claro.
10. Data Journalism
Vía sobrecosto. (Cost overrun). Convoca, Peru.
1st Honorable Mention: La tierra esclava. (Slave land). eldiario.es from Spain in alliance with El Faro of El Salvador.
2nd Honorable Mention: 40 alcaldías bajo la lupa. (40 mayors' offices under scrutiny) Ojoconmipisto.com, Guatemala. Author: Ana Carolina Alpírez.
11. In-Depth Journalism
El caso Odebrecht: corrupción y despilfarro en Venezuela. (The Odebrecht case: Corruption and Overspending in Venezuela), Revista digital Clímax, Venezuela.
Honorable Mention: Narcomapa. Ojo-Publico.com, Perú.
12. Roberto Eisenmann Jr. Environmental Journalism
Narcotala. El Universal, México.
Honorable Mention: Series Ganadería sin límites: la lenta desaparición de los bosques en Centroamérica. (Livestock farming without limits: The slow disappearance of forests in Central America) Mongabay Latam, Peru. Authors: Michelle Carrere, Wilder Pérez, José Arcia, Sebastián Escalón, Duyerling Ríos and Cristopher Mendoza.
13. Pedro Joaquín Chamorro University Journalism Award
Grooming. Punto Convergente, Argentina. Authors: Tatiana Montes, Gisela Gimenez, Bordazahar Rodrigo and María José Della Sala.
Honorable Mention: La Favorita, sector de guerra entre ganchos. (The Favorite, sector of war among crooks). Datéate al minuto, Colombia. Author: Tatiana Salamanca.
