In Venezuela, digital information freedoms are systematically censored and attacked, according to “Algorithms of Silence,” the 2023 Digital Rights Report from IPYS Venezuela. During the past year, 46 informative sites were blocked and 12 media outlets and four journalists suffered from identity impersonation.
As violence is growing in the country and against the press, in particular, Ecuador has a legally established protection mechanism that does not have resources to be fully functional. The government's recent announcement not to approve resources for this year and the next raised even more alarms about how to improve press security in the country.
After presenting VerificAudio, an AI tool to detect manipulated audio material and combat disinformation, the PRISA media group will begin using it in its news stations in Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Chile. It’s also considering collaboration with other media that are interested in the tool.
In the book “O pulpito” (The pulpit), Folha de S.Paulo journalist Anna Virginia Balloussier discusses topics such as entrepreneurship, politics, tithing, abortion and sex among evangelicals, seeking, as she says in the introduction, to avoid “falling into the trap of reducing individuals to stereotypes.” In an interview, she describes how she seeks to understand a highly heterogeneous phenomenon and responds to criticism of her work.
Rio Grande do Sul, a state in southern Brazil, is facing its biggest climate disaster, with floods that displaced more than 580,000 people and left 172 dead. Local journalists, many also affected, are dedicated to this unprecedented story. LJR consulted journalists from digital media outlets Matinal, Sul21 and Nonada, who spoke about their experiences and the sense of community among journalists that grew stronger amid chaos in the state.
Year after year, Voces del Sur's Shadow report monitors attacks against the press in Latin America. With the consolidation of undemocratic regimes and the proliferation of organized crime in some countries, stigmatizing speech against the press increased in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Venezuelan journalists and photojournalists do other jobs outside of journalism to have extra income that allows them to survive. In 20 years of the governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, 400 media outlets have closed.
Faced with the proposal of a new telecommunications law in Nicaragua, independent journalists are preparing for possible blocking of their websites, regulation of audiovisual content and control of production equipment. Some media outlets have already started campaigns to raise awareness among readers about possible measures to avoid censorship.
The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil established that coordinated lawsuits against journalists are a form of judicial harassment and also set the precedent that errors are an intrinsic part of the profession. Experts consider the actions positive and important steps, but say they’re insufficient to end abuse of the courts against the press.
Nicaraguan journalist Carlos Fernando Chamorro received the Golden Pen of Freedom award during the 75th WAN-IFRA Congress. 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.
DW Akademie and Salvadoran feminist media outlet Alharaca lead Cambia la Historia, a training program that seeks to help in the development of alternative narratives from a gender perspective. The call for journalists and editors closes on June 9.
A new UNESCO report confirms what many journalists and researchers have thought: quality journalism is good for democracy, civic engagement and government accountability. Further, public investment in it improves trust from citizens, and promotes human rights and sustainable development.