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From the early days of the fight against corruption when the ‘c’ word was only whispered in the halls of power, investigative journalists have faced barriers to the truth that include censorship, surveillance, oppressive criminal libel and defamation laws, and state control of the media.

In Latin America, investigative journalists played a central role in exposing corruption that resulted in the ousting of several presidents including Fernando Collor de Mello of Brazil, Abdalá Bucarám Ortíz of Ecuador and Alberto Fujimori of Peru.

The media is a vital check on the abuse of power. But journalism is only one pillar in a social and legal infrastructure to ensure the people’s right to know. Strong, evenly enforced access to information laws, legal guarantees of freedom of expression, fair and independent judges, courageous public prosecutors, professional and honest police and public officials all facilitate the media’s role as an effective public watchdog and keep a check on corruption.

Transparency International (TI) supports and promotes a free and responsible press to seek accountability, to stop perpetrators from acting with impunity and to promote the transparency that empowers citizens to make informed decisions.

From 3 to 6 September, TI is co-hosting the second Latin American Investigative Journalism Conference (COLPIN), a key regional gathering of investigative journalists. The conference, organised by Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS, Press and Society Institute), serves as a platform to showcase the best investigative journalism from the region’s print, radio, television and electronic media. It includes workshops and discussions on how best to investigate and expose corruption.

The TI and IPYS annual Journalism Award, that recognises outstanding investigative journalism in Latin American and Caribbean media, will be awarded at the conference. In 2009, the award went to two articles that alleged public sector corruption in Brazil and illicit financial dealings in several countries by Catholic Church officials from Costa Rica. Both stories had a strong impact: implicated individuals resigned and were brought before the courts.

The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that of the 826 journalists killed in the line of duty since 1992, 21 per cent were reporting on corruption. Of the 25 journalists killed thus far in 2010, 31 per cent were reporting on corruption, the second deadliest beat after politics.

Latin America is currently suffering an epidemic of journalist killings, with Honduras and Mexico particularly hard hit. The UN and the Organisation of American States have declared Mexico the most dangerous country for journalists in the Americas. Since 2000, 60 journalists have died because of their work. The UN also found that drug gangs are seeking to control the media. Mexican media and international organisations have protested impunity and have demanded protection, full investigations and prosecutions.

The self-censorship in reporting as a result of violence means sensitive issues go unrecorded. But violence is not the only force stifling the media. Legislation that curbs press freedom can silence even responsible public criticism or dissent.

The current electoral period in Venezuela has intensified the government’s attacks against the media. Recently, two Caracas newspapers were temporarily banned from printing pictures of violence by a court order. Violence is considered by 80 per cent of Venezuelans the country’s most severe problem, where more than 19,000 people were murdered in 2009 according to official figures.

In Argentina, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is trying to expand the state’s control over the media. She blamed disappointing results in last year’s legislative elections on the press. In an ongoing battle with two media groups, she has accused them of gaining control of the country’s major paper company through their association with the dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983 and suggested they be investigated for crimes against humanity.

Argentina: Since 2003, TI’s Argentinean chapter Poder Ciudadano has sought transparency in the allocation of government advertising funds. The chapter found that from 2003 to 2008 the government’s advertising budget increased almost 10 fold, from 46 million pesos (US$11.6 million) to 395 million pesos (US$100 million). This level of official advertising distorts elections because of the uneven purchasing power of incumbent and opposition parties, and it can also induce self-censorship by media that depend on the advertising to survive.

Guatemala: TI chapter Acción Ciudadana helped introduce an access to information law and is working to ensure its implementation. When public officials refused an information request recently, the chapter took legal action and obtained the information.

Venezuela: In coalition with other NGOs, Transparencia Venezuela ran the Third International Seminar on Access to Public Information, designed to strengthen understanding of access to public information as a fundamental right. The head of the chapter recently published, El acceso a la información pública en Venezuela: Transparencia Vs Opacidad (Access to information in Venezuela: Transparency vs opacity.

• Follow the conference on Twitter
• Journalist cases before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• Organization of American States resolution on press freedom
• CPJ testimony: Press freedom in the Americas
• Media and Governance: A Reform Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean

Colombian journalists win prestigious investigative journalism award for illegal wire tapping probe
Buenos Aires/Berlin, 06 September 2010

Periodistas colombianos ganan el Premio Latinoamericano de Periodismo de Investigación (Spanish)
Transparency International

Colombians win Latin American investigative journalism award (Spanish)
EFE

The challenges of investigative journalism are discussed in Buenos Aires (Spanish)
EFE

Latin America: Journalists of Semana magazine win Latin American investigative journalism award (Spanish)
Infolatam

Marta Erquicia
Senior Programme Coordinator
Berlin: +49 30 34 38 20 33
Email: merquicia@transparency.org