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.
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.
Early in the morning of May 6, 1996, Gustavo Díaz, a merchant in the port of Turbo, in Urabá, Colombia, lost everything. His wife and two of his daughters were murdered and burned along with his grocery store at the hands of guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in one of more than 2,000 massacres that have occurred in that country since 1982.
If there was a Mexican case that got the attention of the country’s media and the world, it was the disappearance of 43 students from the Normal School of Ayotzinapa in Iguala, the state of Guerrero, on Sept. 26, 2014.
Investigative journalism site Armando.info, which is based in Venezuela, is inviting journalists to propose stories on issues that are largely uncovered.
The 14th Latin American Investigative Journalism Award honored works that uncovered extrajudicial executions in Mexico, violent conflicts over land and timber in Brazil and the trafficking of cultural heritage throughout the region.
Since Peruvian investigative journalism site Ojo Público was born two years ago, its four founders knew that in addition to their investigations, they wanted to offer a space to share knowledge and experiences that could be useful to colleagues not only in Peru but throughout the region.
For repeatedly questioning the purchase of medication by the Ecuadorian government, journalist Janet Hinostroza, and the broadcaster Teleamazonas in which she hosts an interview program, were sanctioned on Aug. 8 by the Superintendency of Information and Communication (Supercom) of Ecuador, according to Fundamedios, a freedom of expression organization.
After several years of efforts to create a common space for discussion and cooperation and to improve tools to carry out high quality journalism—such as the use of databases and public sources of information—the Chilean Journalists' Network was officially launched on May 3 during an event called Sin Mordaza, which roughly translates to Without Censorship.
The investigative team at Mexican digital news site Aristegui Noticias has taken home yet another prize. The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has announced the team as one of the winners of the 2016 Knight International Journalism Awards.
Since Operation Car Wash began in March 2014, it has dominated the political agenda in Brazil. Considered by the Federal Police as the biggest corruption investigation ever undertaken in the country, its coverage is a challenge even for experienced journalists, like the editor in chief of Época magazine, Diego Escosteguy.
Businessman Ronan Maria Pinto, owner of São Paulo newspaper Diário do Grande ABC, was arrested on April 1 as part of Operation Car Wash, an investigation into corruption in the Brazilian government and various companies. The investigation has fueled a political crisis in Brazil that reaches the top levels of government.