World Voices: Mart n Leandro Camacho, Peru
Secuestraron mi pais. Emblazoned on a protest placard and photographed by Peruvian journalist, Mart n Leandro Camacho, the statement summed up the feeling of tens of thousands of people during some of the largest protests in Peru in more than a decade.
In English, it reads:
They kidnapped my country. The demonstrations in November were led by young Peruvians in opposition to little-known politician Manuel Merino, who was sworn in as president following the surprise ousting of his popular predecessor, Mart n Vizcarra. The deaths of two men in their 20s during Merino's short five-day rule, reportedly from injuries caused by a firearm, sparked nationwide fury.
Images from the protests showed hundreds of riot police using batons and teargas canisters against largely peaceful protesters.
Journalists were also targets. Peru's National Coordinator for Human Rights said there were at least 35 journalists among the wounded. In 31 cases, police were identified as the main aggressors, according to the National Association of Journalists in Peru.
Impunity has found a fertile land. Shortly after covering the protests in the capital, Lima, Mart n Leandro Camacho, who had just been announced as the winner of the 2020 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award, wrote a heartfelt email to the foundation referencing the bittersweet honour.
My country is mired in a tremendous crisis, he said. Two young men have already died, around 40 people have disappeared and hundreds are injured. The press and the government want to hide many things. I ask you, please, as a winner of the Young Journalist Award, to listen to my voice.
Impunity seems to have found a fertile land. Injustice grows fast, Mart n later said in a video message. The situation is very chaotic. Our job as journalists under these circumstances is vital. Our main goal is to tell the truth and show people what is happening behind the curtains. We're recording abuses that would have impunity if there wasn't a camera filming them.
-- Play
-- --
Impunity is widely recognised as one of the greatest threats to press freedom and each year, the United Nations dedicates a day to end impunity for crimes against journalists.
Independent journalists such as Mart n are essential in ensuring that accountability and transparency - the core values that bring change - remain at the heart of good journalism. His subjects are often the poor and the fight for social equality and political justice is enmeshed with his work.
While assaults on journalists have no place in society, Mart n emphasises that the undermining of journalists and the intimidation and violence against them is being normalised.
Nothing can guarantee your security, not even a press card showing that you are a journalist. In Lima's Plaza San Mart n, many journalists were harassed, insulted, wronged and injured by the National Police of Peru. One journalist ended up with a fractured leg. Another fainted in the middle of a protest site after police fired teargas.
The police don't seem to understand that you are simply doing your job and the people are exercising their constitutional right to protest.
Mart n is no stranger to violence, intimidation and threats. He was attacked by police as he documented a story earlier in the year on the fishing unions that came out in protest over the environmental impact of oil exploration. He says he was also bullied and harassed by politicians and businessmen whilst doing his job.
In the process of helping communities that are silenced, police, politicians and business people have all threatened to silence me, he says. But we will continue to cover issues that matter so we can improve society.
Mart n thinks the rise in social media provides a new opportunity for journalists like him and means large media organisations no longer own the news.
Social media has helped independent journalists provide a stream of accurate information to the public, he says. We are gaining significance in this way and we are giving a new meaning to the concept of press freedom.
New technology and social platforms have also heralded a shift in the way information is collected and shared between journalists. It's how we were able to piece together information about the protests with other journalists from different parts of the country, Mart n says.
Independent reporters, journalists and journalism students all came out to cover the protests with their cameras, their notebooks and their pencils, not motivated by money but the truth, so that the public could learn what was unfolding in their country.
If we are looking for a definition of press freedom, it's only one image and this is it. This is the real image of press freedom. This is the image of journalism as a tool to serve the people.
If we can get something good out of these awful events, it's that it has been a gestation of a free, independent press. This gives some hope to a country where the truth always seems to be silenced.
Read Martin's piece on the recent protests in Peru, The Fight for a Homeland', for Nube Roja here.
(Images courtesy of Max Nina, Luis Javier Magui a and Nube Roja)
Impunity seems to have found a fertile land. Injustice grows fast.
Mart n Leandro Camacho, journalist, Peru
Protests 2020 In many ways 2020 has redefined what it means to march, with countries around the world engulfed by a roaring wave of demands for accountability. Contending with a pandemic, and being subject to violence and intimidation, our alumni are working hard to document current history movements and uphold the fundamental principles of media freedom. Find them in the World Voices section of our website.
#TFnothingbutthetruth
There is a long history of photojournalists putti
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
05/05/2024
A special evening performance by multiplatinum singer Becky G will provide a memorable conclusion to TeievisaUnivision's Casa Cultura upfront event on May 1...
05/05/2024
Giant media buyer Publicis is telling network sales executives that it does not think Nielsen's new panel-plus-big-data currency is ready for this upfront....
05/05/2024
WASHINGTON Glenn Kirschner, legal analyst at NBC News, blasted the media for referring to the New York trial of former President Donald Trump as a hush-money ...
05/05/2024
Catchy Comedy's weekend marathon sees The Beverly Hillbillies on the weekend of May 4-5. The event kicks off Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m. ET, and runs through...
05/05/2024
NBC Sports has the 150th Kentucky Derby Saturday, May 4. The coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock and the feature race at Churchill Downs in Louis...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
World Voices: Mart n Leandro Camacho, Peru 
