Don't Take a Free Press for Granted: The Best Journalism in Latin America
Valeria Luiselli Recommends 19 Publications to Better Understand This Hemisphere
In times when power distorts truth, freedom of speech becomes curtailed, and the lives of journalists are in constant danger, it is our duty remain informed and our responsibility to read and write more than ever.
In Mexico, between the year 2000 and 2018, more than 117 journalists have been assassinated. In Cuba, freedom of the press is dismissed in favor of information blackouts and the management rather than the production of political news and speech. In Chile, fundamental publishing spaces, such as Qué pasa and Paula, have recently closed down. The list of countries and ways in which Latin American journalism is under siege can go on and on. And yet, some of the world’s most serious, well-written and courageous journalism is still being produced there.
Covering both local and international issues, a number of journals, sites and writers are key to understanding the shared problems of our continent. Some of them are iconic spaces, such as the Salvadoran El Faro, the first fully online journal in Spanish, which has been publishing some of the best investigative journalism and “crónicas” for over 20 years. Others are more recent, like the Cuban El Estornudo and 14yMedio, which are not accessible from Cuba unless a foreign, proxy IP address is used.
Below is a short list of publications, put together in consultation with other Latin American writers and journalists.
Argentina: Revista Angular · Brasil: Apublica · Chile: Ciper · Colombia: La Silla Vacía, Verdad Abierta · Cuba: Periodismo de Barrio, El Estornudo, 14yMedio · Guatemala: Nómada, Plaza Pública · Honduras: Contracorriente · México: Animal Político, Periodistas de a pie · Nicaragua: Confidencial · Perú: Ojo Público, IDL Reporteros · El Salvador: El Faro · Venezuela: Runrunes, Efecto Cocuyo
Valeria Luiselli
Valeria Luiselli is the author of the book of essays Sidewalks, and the internationally acclaimed novel Faces in the Crowd, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her most recent novel, The Story of My Teeth was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Best Translated Book Award, and won the Los Angeles Times Prize for Best Fiction, and the Azul Price in Canada. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Granta, McSweeney’s and The New Yorker. In 2014 she was the recipient of the National Book Foundation "5 under 35" award.
