COLPIN (Conferencia Latinoamericana de Periodismo de Investigación) is our region's most important meeting for investigative journalists, recognizing the best print, online, radio and television reporting of the year.
During this year's event, from 2-5 September in Guayaquil, Ecuador, 150 reporters from Latin America and beyond discussed their work exposing government corruption scandals and investigative strategies to uncover malfeasance. Experts presented on covering public interest issues such as expenditures, health and government corruption. Other topics included investigations on governments' security systems, human rights and access to information.
RWI Latin American Senior Associate Fernando Patzy attended the conference to gauge participants' fluency with oil, gas and mining issues and assess the possibility of a future RWI collaboration to support investigative journalism on these issues. RWI's media training programs in other regions aim to help journalists in resource-rich countries better understand oil, gas and mining issues to facilitate the press's critical role in holding governments and companies more accountable.
After chatting with journalists from Latin American media attending the event, Patzy found some common complaints. First, journalists say they are hindered by the fact that most available information related to the oil, gas and mining industries is overly technical and difficult to obtain. Second, in-depth investigations require time and resources that not all media outlets can afford.
The journalists Patzy spoke to say they are aware of the impacts of the natural resource industry and why they are relevant but they know that these haven't been adequately covered to date. There was a general sense that reporting on the extractives industries is too complex and difficult for publications to support.
In light of these conversations, RWI sees an opportunity to begin working with Latin American journalists. After the conference, RWI's Latin American team began discussions with event sponsors Instituto Prensa y Sociedad to consider collaboration in future media training programs.
The new project might include trainings on the oil, gas and mining industries, dedicated to improving journalists' ability to cover these issues, as well as opportunities for small research grants, an investigative reporting contest and a sponsored award for extractive industries coverage at the next COLPIN conference.
