GIJN's Regional Spotlight Series: LATAM Week

The investigative beat has never been an easy one in Latin America.

From reporting under authoritarian regimes to confronting significant security risks in a region that faces the added challenge of impunity, and from the difficulties of reporting amidst persistent financial struggles to handling the backlash that comes with exposing acts of corruption – the circumstances facing reporters have long been challenging.

But in spite of these myriad challenges, for decades reporters across the region have been making their voices heard and shedding light on critical issues.

LATAM Focus week — the first installment in our new regional spotlight series — celebrated the achievements of our members in Latin America and others reporting from the region.

Read our articles below: they tell the stories of reporters across the continent, dig into the investigations that matter, and detail how outlets are creating innovative reporting projects amid their own specific local challenges.

After Pablo and El Chapo: How Investigative Outlets Are Covering Organized Crime in Latin America

For better or worse, the pervasive presence of organized crime in Latin America has meant journalists are well-versed in covering it, says The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project 's Nathan Jaccard .

GIJN spoke to reporters from outlets based in Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico, as well as from two region-wide projects, to hear how they carried out their recent work, where they are innovating on this beat.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

‘Shining a Light Where There Are Shadows’: Latin American Outlets Innovating With Data

From mapping the impact of organized crime to diving into the behavior of extractive companies, and from digging into embezzlement and public contracts to investigating the impact of climate change, data journalism is helping outlets across Latin America carry out innovative projects that reveal the stories hidden behind large volumes of data.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Investigating in Audio: Nine Standout Podcasts from Latin America

Investigative podcasts from the region have successfully managed to mix traditional reporting with one of the continent’s oldest genres: narrative journalism.?

Here, GIJN has selected nine standout investigative journalism podcasts broadcast in the past few years from across Latin America. They recount and re-examine key events, give voice to the victims of violence and repression, and explore the lives of messianic politicians.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

The Power of Collaboration: El CLIP and the Plan to Transform Latin America’s Investigative Ecosystem

El CLIP was founded by three leading journalists who shared the conviction that to mirror the transnational challenges journalists face in Latin America, the stories had to be crossborder, too.

In this member profile, Diego Courchay dives deeper into GIJN Member El CLIP and their extraordinary investigative efforts.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

10 Questions with Mexico's Carmen Aristegui

Carmen Aristegui did not become a journalist to battle with the country’s most powerful people. She wanted to become a reporter to make a positive change.

GIJN spoke to Aristegui about her tips for interviewing the powerful, the challenges that investigative media outlets face today, and how to avoid burnout.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

10 Questions with Brazil's Patrícia Campos Mello

Patricia Campos Mello did not want to be known as the journalist who was singled out by the president.

But, when the award-winning Folha de S?o Paulo journalist did an investigation into election disinformation, she became a target. Here, she talks to GIJN about handling enemies in high places, getting her “normal reporter life” back, and her favorite tools.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

What’s Next for Investigative Journalism in Latin America

GIJN has more than 25 member organizations in Latin America, from Mexico to Chile.

GIJN en Espa?ol - Red Global de Periodismo de Investigación Editor Andrea Arzaba and GIJN Portuguese Editor Ana Beatriz Assam asked our members what characteristics define investigative journalism in the region, and the greatest challenges facing reporters doing watchdog reporting today.

Read this piece in: English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Missed GIJN's webinar, "How Latin America Connects to Your Story"?

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