As systematic persecution by the Ortega-Murillo regime forces entire newsrooms to flee, exile has become a defining feature of Nicaraguan journalism. At the Ibero-American Colloquium on Digital Journalism, reporters shared their efforts to report, resist and stay safe.
“You have to go” is the phrase that defines the exile of Venezuelan journalists and the title of the most recent investigation by Luz Mely Reyes, co-founder of digital media outlet Efecto Cocuyo. Her new study reveals how censorship and persecution have forced many to leave their country and reinvent themselves abroad.
Exiled journalists face stalled asylum cases and the end of humanitarian parole. Those sent back to Nicaragua or Venezuela would return to regimes openly hostile to press freedom.
Several Haitian journalists have opted for exile in the face of the social, political, economic and security crisis affecting their country. Roberson Alphonse, Dieu-Nalio Chery and Jacky Marc explain what it means to be Haitian journalists in exile.
Cuban journalist José Nieves speaks with colleagues from Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Venezuela about membership campaigns, content agencies, virtual stores, holding events, and sustainability challenges.
One month after his release from a Cuban prison, journalist Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca speaks with LJR about how being the grandson of a communist commander turned him into an unwavering dissident, and how international pressure led to his release
The phenomenon of exiled journalists is not new, according to the UN Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan. However, the increase in recent years has caused concern and hence the need for both States and civil society to come together to offer help. Organizations from Latin America join that call.
Directors of El Faro (El Salvador) and Confidencial (Nicaragua) pointed to risk assessment, complete trust between editors and reporters, legal defense and psychological support as fundamental elements to preserve the well-being and safety of their teams in the face of harassment, threats and criminalization.
The situation experienced by Nicaraguan journalists is one of the worst in the region, and was at the center of the debate, alongside examples of resistance and perseverance in the face of adversity, during the panel “Journalism in Nicaragua” at the 17th Ibero-American Colloquium on Digital Journalism.
Galina Timchenko shared at ISOJ how, for the past 10 years, Meduza has managed to evade Kremlin censorship and persecution by employing a wide range of techniques, from journalists working anonymously to sophisticated tools enabling the dissemination of information within Russia.
At least 25 journalists from Guatemala have gone into exile due to an increase in censorship, attacks and persecution in their home country. Among them are Marvin Del Cid, Lucia Ixchíu and Gerson Ortiz, who spoke with LJR about the legal cases against them and the emotional consequences of being uprooted.
Women journalism leaders will take the stage at the 25th International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ) to deliver all four keynote addresses at this special anniversary conference. The final two keynote speakers to be announced are Wendi C. Thomas, founder, editor and publisher of nonprofit newsroom MLK50, and Galina Timchenko, co-founder, CEO and publisher of Meduza, an independent Russian media outlet operating from Latvia.