In recognition of his outstanding contribution in the defense and promotion of press freedom, Nicaraguan journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro received the Golden Pen of Freedom award during the 75th World News Media Congress of the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), held in Denmark.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Golden Pen of Freedom 2024 award from the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) at a time when freedom of the press and freedom of expression are under brutal attack in my country Nicaragua, while there is a process of criminalization of independent journalism in several other countries of Latin America,” Chamorro, who is in exile, said during his acceptance speech.
Chamorro dedicated the recognition to his colleagues in exile and to all Latin American journalists who face political persecution, prison and criminal violence in their countries.
In his speech he mentioned Nicaraguan journalist Victor Ticay, sentenced to 8 years in prison for spreading images of a religious procession on his Facebook account.
He also dedicated the award to José Rubén Zamora, director of elPeriódico who is still in prison. To Cuban journalist Mayelín Rodríguez, sentenced to 15 years in prison for disclosing video of protests in Camaguey in 2022.
And to Gustavo Gorriti and the IDL-Reporteros team in Peru; the Armando.info team, in Venezuela; and the journalists from El Faro in El Salvador who face criminalization in their countries.
“The Golden Pen of Freedom belongs to all of them. This recognition encourages us not to give in to censorship and self-censorship, and to do more and better journalism, which is the only defense we have to protect freedom and democracy,” Chamorro said.
To continue doing journalism from exile
Chamorro is the second member of his family to receive the Golden Pen of Freedom. His brother, Pedro, obtained it in 1982.
The Chamorro family is part of the political and media history of Nicaragua. His mother, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, was president of the Republic in the early 90s and both his father (assassinated in 1978 by the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza) and his brother were part of the leadership of newspaper La Prensa.
They have also been protagonists of trials, exile, imprisonment, torture and confiscations, and have even been stripped of their nationality.
Chamorro, following his family's legacy, founded successful media outlets in Nicaragua: the television magazine Esta Semana in 1995, the investigative publication Confidencial in 1996, and the daily television news outlet Esta Noche in 2005.
“Chamorro is one of the most important journalists of our era in Latin America. Without a doubt the most important in Nicaragua, where he became a brave defender of press freedom and independent journalism,” Rosental Alves, director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, told WAN-IFRA.
In 2021, due to persecution by the Daniel Ortega regime, Chamorro had to go into exile and in February 2023 both he and 93 other Nicaraguan citizens were declared “stateless.”
With this decision, the journalist lost his political rights in perpetuity, his identity in the civil registry of Nicaragua, and his assets and property were confiscated, including his social security pensions.
He is currently traveling with a Spanish passport after the government of that country granted him nationality.
One is never prepared to go into exile. But on June 15, 2021, my wife and I decided to cross over to Costa Rica, through blind spots, to escape an imminent capture, and to preserve my freedom,” Chamorro said during his speech.
Confidencial’s newsroom and a large part of the independent press in Nicaragua are in exile, a situation that brings new challenges.
Upon receiving the award, Chamorro listed five challenges facing the profession from exile: being able to preserve the physical safety of journalists and sources, maintaining the credibility of the press, continuing to innovate to nurture interaction with the audience, promoting collaborative journalism and achieving economic sustainability.
Chamorro said that this recognition from WAN-IFRA encourages him to continue doing quality journalism with his Confidencial team because the independent press in exile “represents the last reserve of freedom under a totalitarian dictatorship.”
