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Inside Latin American journalism: Researchers reveal a landscape of precarity, pressure and resilience during Knight Center webinar

Presenting insights from the new ebook Worlds of Journalism: Safety, Professional Autonomy, and Resilience among Journalists in Latin America, researchers painted a complex, and often troubling, picture of Latin American journalism during a webinar hosted by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas on Jan. 22, 2026.

The Spanish-language webinar, now available to watch online, featured scholars Adriana Amado, Universidad Camilo José Cela in Argentina; Armando Gutierrez Ortega, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico; Martín Oller Alonso, University of Salamanca in Spain; Celeste Gonzalez de Bustamante, University of Texas at Austin; Jesús Arroyave, Universidad del Norte en Barranquilla, Colombia; and William Porath, Pontificia Universidad Católica of Chile.

Moderated by Knight Center Associate Director Summer Harlow, the session offered an in‑depth look at how journalists navigate labor precarity and physical and mental insecurity while still defending their commitment to truth and the public interest.

Though each researcher presented a unique national context, several themes resonated across borders:

  • Precarity is widespread; journalists routinely work several jobs to survive.
  • Autonomy exists, but under pressure and often limited by fear, lack of access to information, and political or criminal threats.
  • Hate speech and attacks are rising, even in countries once considered safe.
  • Journalists working outside capital cities are the most vulnerable, facing isolation and state or criminal control.
  • Digital, alternative, and independent outlets are growing, often serving as spaces of greater freedom, but with little pay.
  • Despite everything, journalists demonstrate resilience and a strong commitment to democratic roles.

Watch the full webinar recording on the Knight Center’s YouTube channel.

A second webinar, this time in English, will be held at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3, 2026, and will feature ebook contributors presenting research from El Salvador, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Register now to secure your spot!

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