Cases of beatings, attacks and insults from fans against journalists have multiplied in many countries in Latin America. Behind the attacks, there may be new codes of conduct among violent fans and a deep intolerance for difference.
Two months after armed men stormed the studios of TC Televisión in Guayaquil, Ecuador, journalists from the channel have turned to various forms of psychological support. One of them is a new psychosocial support program from Fundamedios based on holistic therapies, resilience techniques and ancestral knowledge.
It has been 11 years since Ecuadorian journalist Fausto Valdiviezo was killed. His brother and experts believe that the case has not been solved because of a lack of investigation on the part of authorities because he was a journalist.
According to recent research from Ecuador, journalism in Latin America is a profession with invisible psychosocial risk factors, a situation that was aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The main researcher and four journalists explain how to face this reality in daily work.
A key figure in both Ecuadorian journalism and politics, 'Don Villa' earned his reputation through fearless investigative journalism, opening the way to high-profile convictions that included former President Rafael Correa. His fusion of activism with journalistic rigor drew a spectrum of responses, ranging from admiration to critical scrutiny.
Investigatour Amazonía, an initiative created by Convoca in Peru and replicated by Fundamedios in Ecuador, aims to encourage the training of journalists from Amazon regions. The focus is on data journalism, digital narratives and security so that journalists can develop in-depth stories on environmental conflicts and organized crime suffered by their communities.
On June 28, the Committee to Protect Journalists presented its report "Ecuador on edge: Political paralysis and spiking crime pose new threats to press freedom," which describes the current crisis facing journalism in the country.
Disinformation narratives that seek to delay actions against climate change, a communication initiative to train communities on digital security, and protection tips for journalists covering the Amazon were lessons learned at the II Amazon Summit on Journalism and Climate Change, organized by Fundamedios, in Ecuador.
Women and LGBTQ+ people are especially vulnerable to violence in the workspace. To address this problem in newsrooms, the digital news outlet GK and the Rights and Justice Observatory (ODJ, by its Spanish acronym) developed a protocol to prevent gender-based violence in these spaces and make them safer for people who work there.
The departure of two journalists from Ecuador after receiving death threats is the latest evidence of deteriorating security situation for these professionals in the country. While in exile, Karol Noroña spoke to LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) about the context, documented by civil society organizations, of the strengthening of organized crime and the inaction of the State to protect journalists.