Celebrating Latin America’s Best Journalism

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  

Two investigative stories produced by IWPR partners are up for prizes at the Gabo festival - the largest celebration of journalism and culture in Latin America –in the Colombian capital Bogota this weekend.

One story uncovered the abuse and racism surrounding the Dominican Republic’s mass deportation of Haitians; the other used AI to help document how Peruvian drug gangs are terrorising indigenous communities.

 VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE 

In Looking for Mikelson - Apartheid in the Caribbean, journalist Juan Martínez D’Aubuisson’s search for a Haitian migrant assaulted by police revealed a widespread racial prejudice.

“We uncovered the systematic human rights violations against the Haitian population in the Dominican Republic,” said D’Aubuisson. “This is significant because we showed both the Dominican public and the international community how the Dominican government's racist and discriminatory practices are affecting tens of thousands of people on the island.”

In Death Flights, the other piece nominated for the Gabo Foundation prize - founded by Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, himself a pre-eminent investigative reporter – a team at environmental outlet Mongabay Latam used AI and satellite data analysis to identify nearly 70 clandestine landing strips used for drug transportation in and around indigenous Peruvian communities.

"The impact was immediate,” said Alexa Velez, managing editor of Mongabay Latam. The report was shared by public figures including former Prime Minister Alberto Otárola and republished by dozens of Latin American media outlets, enabling indigenous leaders to demand greater protection. Further afield, the Wall Street Journal highlighted its innovative use of AI as a methodological breakthrough, and the piece is also a finalist for the Global Investigative Journalism Network 2025 Global Shining Light Awards.

 WHY IT MATTERS 

Independent journalists in Latin America do vital work uncovering serious wrongdoing by authorities and private actors alike – but routinely face repression, censorship and harassment.

Both stories nominated for the Gabo awards are part of an IWPR project providing journalists with the training, financial resources and mentorship to combat these challenges.

"The guidance and close editing work done by [my mentor] has been incredibly supportive and has allowed me to fully develop my skills as a researcher,” D’Aubuisson said. “The support has allowed us to identify our physical and digital security vulnerabilities much more easily."

“After this process, I feel much safer and believe I now have much more effective tools to protect both my communications and the information gathered during investigations.”

Velez agreed, adding, “Internally, the work strengthened safety protocols and post-publication support, making it possible to create a replicable investigative model for high-risk areas, without endangering communities or journalists."

 THE BOTTOM LINE 

Amid deteriorating regional media freedoms, investigative journalism in Latin America remains both underfunded and dangerous.

IWPR's holistic approach, providing resources, training, mentoring and access to security support is allowing journalists across the region to continue producing accurate, balanced information about important public issues and hold those in power to account.