Spotlight on Latin America

Welcome to IWPR’s Frontline Update, your go-to source to hear from journalists and local voices at the front lines of conflict.

 THE BIG PICTURE  

As global attention focuses on Latin America in the wake of the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura, IWPR is launching a dedicated platform to showcase some of the region’s best investigative journalism produced with IWPR support.

Published in both English and Spanish, the IWPR.latam site highlights how local independent media are holding authoritarian governments and corrupt actors to account, amid political unrest, widespread graft and chronic economic crises.

 VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE 

“The events in Venezuela over the weekend, together with the US government’s renewed focus on Latin America, underscore the importance of ensuring that local voices are heard and that those in power are held to account through independent scrutiny and investigation,” said Dhaniella Falk, IWPR director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since 2020, IWPR has been supporting journalists and outlets to counter increasing media repression across Latin America and carry out groundbreaking fact-based reporting.

Stories supported by IWPR have won multiple awards, including in Venezuela, where partners have played a critical role in exposing corruption within the Maduro regime, including links to narcotrafficking and other illicit economies.

One partner, Armando.Info, has been among the most prolific outlets reporting on abuses, from the use of torture houses in Caracas to illicit gold trafficking and links between Venezuela and the militant Hizbollah group.

 WHY IT MATTERS 

Independent journalism is essential to revealing human rights abuses against independent thought and dissent; the efforts are particularly effective when media is supported by civil society actors.

In Venezuela, as elsewhere in the region, IWPR has supported this powerful nexus as a key driver of change. The C-Informa alliance, for instance, brought together independent Venezuelan media and digital rights groups to expose propaganda networks  associated with the regime, winning the Inter American Press Association Prize for Journalism Excellence for a story that revealed how the Maduro government was exploiting Instagram to malign the opposition.

“Civil society organisations have played a vital role in sustaining hope for freedom and democracy among Venezuelans, while media have kept the people informed of regime abuses. Both are well positioned -and could make a decisive contribution -  to a more prosperous, just and stable future for the country now that Maduro is out,” said Falk.

 THE BOTTOM LINE 

Despite corruption, malign influence and other complex challenges to democracy, Latin American civil society and media have demonstrated their resilience and ability to hold powerful criminals to account.

As the region faces further turbulence, we continue to support brave local voices as they carry out their essential work.