The protests and the crises that followed the decision of the Venezuelan Supreme Court (TSJ) to suspend the powers of the National Assembly on Wednesday, March 29, have once again left the press in its most vulnerable position: security forces have assaulted reporters covering the protests, according to reports.
The identification of two of three suspects in the assassination of Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea have been confirmed, said César Augusto Peniche, district attorney general of the state of Chihuahua, according to the Mexican newspaper La Jornada.
In the early morning hours of March 28, journalist Julio Omar Gómez's house was set on fire in Baja California Sur and the bodyguard charged with protecting his life was shot and killed. About 24 hours later and across the country, Armando Arrieta Granados was shot while arriving home in Veracruz. Both journalists escaped, but one is in the hospital in serious condition.
On Apr. 3, 2016, the world learned about the so-called Panama Papers investigation, a project involving 370 journalists from 76 countries – including 96 journalists from 15 Latin American countries – who revealed a network of evasion and the creation of companies in tax havens by businessmen and leaders from around the globe.
Journalists and writers from Brazil, Bolivia, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay were honored on March 27 with the King of Spain International Journalism Awards.
After criticism from journalist associations and entities, Judge Sergio Moro, who is responsible for cases dealing with the Lava Jato corruption scandal, backed down from the decision to access communications of Brazilian blogger Eduardo Guimarães. In an order published on March 23, Moro annulled the material obtained with the seizure of Guimarães’ telephones and computers, which would allow the identification of his sources.
The “barrage” of censorship and pressure to which Mexican journalists have been exposed in recent years reminds reporter Alexandra Xanic of the 1990s. The dependence of the media on official advertising, reductions in newsrooms and the search by media outlets to “fill spaces,” mean that investigative journalism is increasingly forgotten, and the little that is done fails to have the impact it should.
Journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea, 54, was killed on the morning of March 23 after receiving at least four shots to the head. The journalist was leaving her home in the capital city of Chihuahua state and getting into her vehicle when a group of strangers approached her and began shooting, according to newspaper Norte in Ciudad Juárez.
The controversial Peruvian bill that seeks to regulate who can hold management positions in media outlets was withdrawn. However, the authors of the project, the congress members of the party Fuerza Popular, Úrsula Letona and Alejandra Aramayo, proposed a new version, La República reported.
For Ojo Público, the search for new narratives and formats to tell a story is always ongoing. According to journalists at this Peruvian investigative media site, the method they use involves designing investigations that combine revelation and innovation and applying digital tools that allow them to improve reporting and the narrative structure of their stories in order to inform the public.
While April 1 is April Fools’ Day in many countries around the world, the following day will be dedicated to finding the truth. The International Fact-Checking Network from The Poynter Institute has declared April 2 as International Fact-Checking Day in order to highlight the importance of fact-checking among readers.
Another journalist has been killed in Veracruz, Mexico.