A group of renowned investigative journalists from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, who had gathered for the 8th Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas, issued a declaration condemning the violence against journalists that is threatening freedom of expression from Mexico to the Southern Cone.
The declaration, which called on governments and international organizations to protect the constitutional rights to life and information, came at the end of the annual Forum, organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin and the Open Society Foundations programs for Latin America and media. Discussions at this year's Forum centered around coverage of drug trafficking and organized crime.
"Freedom of expression and the right of citizens to be informed are in grave danger throughout the region," said the declaration, which condemned the killings of journalists and attacks of any kind against the media. Forty-seven journalists and representatives of journalism organizations signed the declaration.
The two-day forum, Sept. 17-18, 2010, got underway just as news came that another journalist in Latin America was killed. Luis Carlos Santiago, 21, was shot to death Thursday in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Santiago was a photographer at the newspaper Diario de Juárez. His colleague, an 18-year-old photography intern, also was wounded during the attack.
A new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists says 22 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2006.
The complete text of the declaration follows:
AUSTIN DECLARATION
Renowned investigative journalists from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, who gathered at the University of Texas at Austin for the 8th Austin Forum on Journalism in the Americas, organized by the Knight Center, declare their strongest condemnation of the killings of journalists, and attacks of any kind against the media, that are being unleashed by organized crime in Mexico, and that have been committed for years amid the negligence of the government.
From Mexico to the Southern Cone, drug trafficking and organized crime have become the biggest threat against democratic society and life. In other countries, such as Guatemala, Honduras and Colombia, the media and journalists are under fire. Freedom of expression and the right of citizens to be informed are in grave danger throughout the region. Confirming this has been the point of all the participants’ presentations at the Forum.
The participants of the Austin Forum, from various media, declare their decision to take action, denouncing the impunity with which the bands of organized crime are operating, and insisting that international organizations and governments of the region – particularly Mexico – recognize the urgency of the moment and assume their responsibility to guarantee a minimum of two rights included in their constitutions. The rights to life and to information must be restored.
From Austin, we send this demonstration of our solidarity with all our colleagues in danger.
Sept. 18, 2010, Austin
8th Austin Forum participants:
· Juan Javier Zeballos, Asociación Nacional de la Prensa (Bolivia)
· Mauri König, Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo
· Mónica González, CIPER Chile
· Ginna Morelo Martínez, Consejo de Redacción y El Meridiano de Cordoba (Colombia)
· Álvaro Sierra, University for Peace, Costa Rica
· Giannina Segnini, La Nación, Costa Rica
· Mónica Almeida, El Universo, Ecuador
· Carlos Dada, El Faro, El Salvador
· Benoît Hervieu, Reporters Sans Frontiers Bureau Amériques, Francia
· Claudia Méndez Arriaza, El Periódico, Guatemala
· Gotson Pierre, AlterPresse, Haiti
· Byron Buckley, Association of Caribbean Media Workers y Press Association of Jamaica
· Marcela Turati, revista Proceso y red Periodistas de a Pie (México)
· Marco Lara Khlar, Insyde (México)
· María Teresa Ronderos, Verdad Abierta, Colombia
· Mike O'Connor, Committee to Protect Journalists
· Óscar Martínez, El Faro, El Salvador
· Samuel González, criminal justice consultant, México
· Carlos Chamorro, El Confidencial, Nicaragua
· Dilmar Rosas Garcia, Centro Latinoamericano de Periodismo, Panamá
· Osmar Gómez, Foro de Periodistas Paraguayos (FOPEP)
· Gustavo Gorriti, IDL Reporteros, Peru
· Luz María Helguero, Red de Periodistas de Provincias del Perú
· Ricardo Uceda, Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS), Peru
· Tyler Bridges, journalist
· Paul Radu, Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism
· Ana Arana, Fundación MEPI, México
· Bruce Bagley, University of Miami
· Bruce Shapiro, Dart Center for Trauma & Journalism, United States
· Cecilia Alvear, National Association of Hispanic Journalists /Unity -Journalists of Color (U.S.)
· Judith Torrea, blog Ciudad Juárez: en la sombra del narcotráfico
· Luis Botello, International Center for Journalists
· Ricardo Trotti, Inter-American Press Association
· Steven Dudley, InSight / Organized Crime in the Americas
· Javier Mayorca, El Nacional, Venezuela
· Algirdas Lipstas, Open Society Foundations, Media Program
· David Holiday Open Society Foundations, Latin America Program
· David Sasaki, Open Society Foundations, Latin America Program
· Gordana Jankovic, Open Society Foundations, Media Program
· Miguel Castro, Open Society Foundations, Media Program
· Sandra Dunsmore, Open Society Foundations, Latin America Program
· Lise Olsen, Investigative Reporters & Editors and Houston Chronicle, United States
· Donna de Cesare, University of Texas at Austin
· Rosental Calmon Alves, University of Texas at Austin
· Kristel Mucino, Washington Office on Latin America y Transnational Institute
· Ricardo Sandoval Palos, International Consortium of Investigative Journalism/Center for Public Integrity (U.S.)
· Gabriel Michi, Forum del Periodismo Argentino (FOPEA)
· Dean Graber, University of Texas at Austin
· Summer Harlow, University of Texas at Austin
· Ingrid Bachmann, University of Texas at Austin
· Mónica Medel, University of Texas at Austin
· James Ian Tennant, University of Texas at Austin
· Joseph Vavrus, University of Texas at Austin
· Jennifer Potter-Miller, University of Texas at Austin
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
