On Apr. 3, 2016, the world learned about the so-called Panama Papers investigation, a project involving 370 journalists from 76 countries – including 96 journalists from 15 Latin American countries – who revealed a network of evasion and the creation of companies in tax havens by businessmen and leaders from around the globe.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF for its acronym in French), a nonprofit organization that defends freedoms of expression and information, has been investing in Brazil to increase visibility and presence in the country. In 2015, RSF opened a regional office for Latin America in Rio de Janeiro and launched a version of its site in Portuguese at the end of November 2016.
It consists of three floors and 300 square meters on a tree-lined street in Botafogo, in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro. A noble space, inside and out, dedicated to journalism. The facade is old, well-maintained, with pink-painted walls and white details. On the inside, there are high ceilings adorned by a sumptuous glass chandelier. The dark wood floors and windows, as well as the staircase, give off a warm air.
“Stolen Memory” is the investigation that led to the creation of the first journalistic platform that collects massive data on illicit trafficking of cultural artifacts from Latin American countries. It is a project of Peruvian digital investigative journalism site Ojo Público, which invited four important media in the region to participate in a transnational and collaborative investigation.
Nearly 100 journalists from 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean worked on the global investigation known as the Panama Papers that is making headlines across the world this week.
Since starting his new job, Paul Haven, the Associated Press’ new News Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, has overseen coverage on the lifting of restrictions on travel from the United States to Cuba, an interview with new Argentinian President Mauricio Macri and stories about the political crisis in Brazil that reaches the country’s top leaders.
Convinced that investigative journalism reaches beyond local contexts, nonprofit organization Connectas, which is based in Bogotá, Colombia, launched a new project to promote the production and distribution of transnational investigative journalism.
Motivated by shared experiences with problems like organized crime or the environmental impacts of transnational projects, journalists in Latin America are establishing multi-national teams to investigate topics that stretch across borders.
Motivated by shared experiences with problems like organized crime or the environmental impacts of transnational projects, journalists in Latin America are establishing multi-national teams to investigate topics that stretch across borders.