More journalists were injured by the military police during protests against increased transportation fares in São Paulo on Jan. 21. This is in addition to the assaults reported during the military police’s repression of demonstrations on Jan. 12 when at least nine media workers were wounded.
The number of cases of violence against journalists in Brazil increased in 2015, according to a recently released annual report from the National Federation of Journalists (Fenaj). According to the text, 137 incidents against media professionals were reported last year — eight more than in 2014.
In a violent action carried out by the military police to disperse protesters in São Paulo during a demonstration against increased transportation fares held on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at least nine media professionals were wounded, according to Abraji (the Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism).
A man accused of murdering Paraguayan journalist Pablo Medina has been detained in southern Brazil.
Deadly violence against journalists in Latin America has continued to grow this year, with four countries from the region making the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) list of deadliest countries for journalists in 2015.
With just over a month under its belt, the website #Colabora is emerging as one of the new media initiatives showing signs of having found a purpose and a way to establish itself as a journalism nonprofit in Brazil. Headed by veteran journalist Agostinho Vieira, the project brings together dozens of employees and addresses issues related to a collaborative and sustainable economy.
Police are investigating the murder of radio host Luiz Manoel Souza, 48, who was killed on Dec. 7 in a rural area of Ubá after being shot by a group of men. The group, at least some of them driving in a truck, first confronted him as he was in his car. The men shot at his car and tires, forcing Souza to flee to a wooded area, which is when he was shot.
This year, the most prestigious award of the Brazilian press, ExxonMobil Award of Journalism (formerly known as Esso Award, or Prêmio Esso), went to a story that used a public online database as its main source. On the night of Nov. 12, two members of the Estadão Dados team, José Roberto de Toledo and Rodrigo Burgarelli, along with reporter Paulo Saldaña, won the award in the main category for “Farra no Fiés” (Farra in Fiés).
As the end of the year nears, two more journalists were killed in Brazil and Colombia in the past week.
GlobalGirl Media (GGM), a U.S.-based organization dedicated to the empowerment of young women through the media, is fundraising for a new initiative in São Paulo, Brazil. The program focuses on the links between sexuality and technology and aims to provide girls with a channel for voicing their opinions through journalism and other media.
Two people on a motorcycle fatally shot 30-year-old Brazilian blogger Ítalo Eduardo Diniz Barros on Nov. 13 in Governador Nunes Freire in Maranhão state. A friend with Diniz was also shot, but survived, according to G1.
Former mayor Vilmar Acosta arrived in Asunción - Paraguay's capital - Tuesday Nov. 17 after Brazil approved his extradition. He now will have to answer for the murder of journalist Pablo Medina, according to Reuters. The journalist’s assistant, Antonia Almada, was also killed in the attack targeting the reporter.