This edition highlights a cross-border exposé of the different underworld groups operating in the Amazon’s border areas, and a look at the global impact of violence from US gun exports.
Despite a backlash against the media in Latin America, investigative journalists have refused to stay silent. Here we highlight eight of the best investigative stories published in Spanish in the region this year, selecting those that prioritized collaboration, used innovative investigative methods and tools, and those that reached new audiences.
In the run-up to the 2019 Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Hamburg this September 26 to 29, we’re featuring one Global Shining Light Award finalist per day. Check out “OLP: The Mask of Official Terror in Venezuela,” by Runrun.es and Connectas.org.
It’s been a big year for investigative reporters in Latin America, from unveiling high-level corruption to collaborating across countries. They’ve chased down leads on colleagues murdered at the border between Colombia and Ecuador, and covered the biggest migratory crisis in years. The reporters have demonstrated, once again, the importance of coming together to hold those in power to account — often doing it under very difficult conditions. Erika Lozano, editor of GIJN en Español, has gathered some of the best investigative stories published in Spanish during 2018.
The winners of the Eighth National Investigative Journalism Awards, organised by Venezuela’s Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, highlight the relevance and importance of collaborative journalism. By building transregional teams, Venezuelan reporters were able to investigate issues that the Venezuelan state tries to hide.
Communications lecturer and former Columbus Dispatch business journalist James Breiner on how credibility works to the advantage of independent media.
What appeared to be a case of money laundering done through a network of laundromats and car washes turned out to be the largest corruption network in Brazilian history, and one that ultimately extended to at least 12 countries. If it weren’t for the collaborative efforts of journalists and media houses across the continent – and into Africa – the whole story could not have been told.
It’s been a busy first quarter of 2017 for GIJN members — from picking up Pulitzer Prizes to launching crowdfunding campaigns. There have also been new projects and new collaborations forged. Here are some noteworthy splashes made by GIJN members around the world.
More and more, Latin American journalism is thriving in the digital space. Investigative journalism platforms online are joining forces, data journalism bootcamps are taking off and there are new accelerators looking to fund innovative news projects. “In today’s world, journalists spend more time in the virtual world than in the paper stacks,” said Carlos Eduardo Huertas, director of Connectas, a nonprofit which supports transnational journalism.
