Martin Leandro Camacho: The compassionate face of Peru
24/11/2020
Mart n Leandro Camacho has always been passionate about being compassionate. The 27-year-old spent the formative periods of his childhood in a small fishing village called Cancas, in northern Peru. I loved the sea and its legends, he says, recalling his early years. But from a young age, I could clearly see injustices all around me.
One scene in particular symbolised for him the unjust difference between Peru's rich and poor. Our little fishing village, where poverty was rife, was next to an exclusive beach resort to which only the privileged and wealthy had access, he says. That always made me doubt the balance of the world.
At the age of nine, Mart n moved with his family to Piura, the capital city of Peru's northwestern Piura region, known for its rich colonial history and architecture. It is here that Mart n started to take note of the power of storytelling to shine a light on different communities and where his journey to journalism began.
-- Play
-- --
I started to read more, to commit myself more. I had a more focused vision of the real problems of society, he says. In my teens, I financed my fledgling reports by working as a photographer in a restaurant. I then studied journalism at the National University of Piura and after graduating, found myself working for the largest newspaper in the region.
Mart n may have elbowed out dozens of other young hopefuls to land a dream job at a major media organisation, but he admits to feeling both delighted and disenchanted. Real news, he thought, was underreported. The domestic focus was often too narrow. Rural Peruvians were largely ignored. He wanted to write stories that involved human connection, moments of change, tragedy and triumph. Stories where he could see their benefit and feel their impact.
In a moment of clarity and feeling a powerful hunch that the moment was right, Mart n took a leap of faith. He left his job at the newspaper, delved deep into his savings and set up an alternative to mainstream media.
Nube Roja (Red Cloud), an online magazine committed to enabling unheard or remote voices to reach a wider audience, was born.
It sounds like idealism, but I have seen so many injustices in my country that I've always wanted to see change and be that change, explains Mart n. I know that I can achieve it through the word. Silence has never been an option.
Taking steps towards a more balanced world While there may be countless untold and under-reported stories in Peru, Mart n's role as investigator and amplifier is vital. In his body of work submitted for the Young Journalist Award, he highlights how the Covid-19 pandemic has magnified social inequality in his country and rendered the poorest truly helpless.
Titled Piura Market: An Invisible Enemy in the Crowd', he collects the testimony of TJ, a student whose elderly father is forced to work in a busy market and faces a daily dilemma of balancing protection from the virus with earning money to feed his family.
Standing among hundreds of peaceful protesters in Cancas, campaigning against the exploitation of heavy crude oil off its coast, Mart n also investigates why children were caught in choking clouds of teargas and why rocks were lobbed at hundreds of fishermen and women to disperse them by the people paid to protect them: the police.
Travelling to Cerro de Pasco, an important mining centre in the high Andes, Mart n also reports on the anger and anxiety that fills the parents of children suffering from the long-term health consequences of lead poisoning. With unworkable solutions foisted upon them and facing other traumas associated with living in poverty, Mart n takes up their case with empathy and a deep understanding of the issues so that their problems become my problems.
It's this proven sensitive touch that has earned him first place in the 2020 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award.
I try to seek justice with my pen so that the invisible are vindicated.
Mart n Leandro Camacho, 2020 Young Journalist Award winner
I consider this a triumph not only for myself, but also for the communities whose rights have been trampled on. Now their voices are heard around the world, says Mart n.
This award is for the children of Cerro de Pasco, whose blood is contaminated with lead. It's for the fishermen of Cancas. It's for the small business owners who have lost their income due to Covid-19. It's for the communities that face tragedies daily and who remain silenced and unheard, and who rarely find solutions to their problems. This award is for them.
Putting girls at the forefront of social progress Mart n defines his work as that of a servicer' of the community's needs. Since setting up Nube Roja, his passion for justice and his desire to address inequality and tap into underrepresented communities has led to a subsequent venture.
Inspired by his feminist activist wife, Mirtha Chong Ramirez, who spearheaded an initiative that encourages young girls from disadvantaged communities to be ambitious and develop leadership qualities, Mart n offers a secure space for young girls, often the victims of violence and sexual abuse, to learn more about journalism.
I am dedicated to social activism, he says. I teach vulnerable children how to write stories and make documentaries. Alongside my wife, I spend four months of the year mentoring young girls from across Latin America who have suffered abuse. Living in a region highly unequal for women, and with a young daughter of my own, investing in their world is something I truly care about.
Winning the Young Journalist Award has encouraged Mart n to offer advice to other aspiring journalists: Always be firm in your principles and always seek the truth. Doubt the official version and try to
LINK: | http://www.thomsonfoundation.org/latest/martin-leandro-camacho-the-com... |
See more stories from thompsonfoundation |
More from Thomson
15/03/2024
Connecting and training Sudanese journalists-in-exile
To help empower Sudanese journalists living in exile amidst the ongoing conflict in their homeland, Thomson trainers have been delivering workshops designed to ...
01/03/2024
Award winning young journalists get their mojo in London
MoJo is something I want to pursue further and include, not as a last thought, but as a one of the components of my daily work. Michelle Banda Vodacom Young Jo...
23/01/2024
Open Call: Executive Learning Programme For Media Professionals in the Western Balkans
A chance to apply for the new learning programme specifically designed for media...
16/01/2024
AI and Disinformation: why collaboration and culture change matter
This is a summary of the inaugural Thomson Talks with Madhav Chinnappa held on 30 November 2023, focused on the specific subject of AI/News & Disinformation. T...
22/12/2023
Enhancing minority representation in run-up to Pakistan s elections
Pakistan is one of more than 65 countries where decisive elections will take place in 2024 in what will be the biggest election year in history. Thomson Media ...
19/12/2023
Rwanda: High-impact investigative journalism celebrates success
An innovative investigative training programme for Rwandan journalists has resulted in the publication of 15 impactful stories which have prompted widespread ch...
18/12/2023
Head of Development: New role for Thomson
As 2023 draws to a close, a new chapter begins for Thomson with the appointment of a new member of the team. Anton Artemyev joins us in January in a new role a...
24/11/2023
In the news - media insights for Young Journalist finalists
The three finalists for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year 2023 enjoyed an action-packed trip to London which included meeting the Queen, visit...
21/11/2023
Yara El Murr wins Young Journalist Award 2023
Yara El Murr from Lebanon is Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2023. Yara received the honour at the Foreign Press Association Media Award...
17/11/2023
Yashraj Sharma: The 2022 YJA winner on a year of opportunity
Yashraj Sharma has seen big changes in his life since he won the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award in 2022. In the run up to the 2023 winner being anno...
10/11/2023
Paris Charter on AI and Journalism unveiled
Thomson Foundation has joined 16 partner organisations to launch the Paris Charter on AI and Journalism'. The first of its kind, the charter defines crucia...
01/11/2023
Zuha Siddiqui, Young Journalist Award finalist 2023
Zuha Siddiqui from Pakistan is a labour and tech reporting fellow for the global non-profit publication Rest of World. She's one of three finalists nominate...
01/11/2023
Jamaima Afridi, Young Journalist Award finalist 2023
Jamaima Afridi is a freelance journalist based in north-west Pakistan on the edge of the Khyber Pass. Her stories focus on injustices faced by women and vulne...
01/11/2023
Yara El Murr, Young Journalist Award finalist 2023
Yara El Murr is a 25-year-old journalist and documentary filmmaker from Lebanon. She is a finalist in Thomson Foundations Young Journalist Award 2023. The awar...
01/11/2023
Announcing the 2023 Young Journalist Award finalists
Young journalists from more than 60 countries entered this years prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award 2023. Countries from across Africa, Asia...
26/10/2023
Investigative journalism exposes new scandals
The 2023 EU Award for Investigative Journalism has proven to be an exceptional showcase of talent, diversity and shifting journalistic priorities. More than 20...
16/10/2023
Thomson Foundation announces new trustees
Thomson Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees - investment expert, author and former financial journal...
12/10/2023
Unique training courses to help create the definitive account of the Ukraine War
Some of the world's leading foreign correspondents and war crimes investigators have contributed to a set of major new training courses for journalists cove...
05/10/2023
Thomson joins Partnership on AI
Thomson Foundation is delighted to be one of five new organisations to join Partnership on AI. Thomson is now one of 114 partner organisations from around the ...
28/09/2023
Shortlist for Young Journalist Award 2023 revealed
An astonishing array of talented journalists from around the world have made it through to the shortlist for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award 2023....
18/09/2023
Thomson Talks: Former Google director to lead Thomson Foundation Thought Leadership events.
Madhav Chinnappa, the former Director of News Ecosystem Development at Google an...
14/09/2023
Strengthening the media s role in promoting democracy
Thomson works with journalists in some of the toughest places in the world. Their work and livelihoods are frequently under threat. Thomson Foundation believes ...
05/09/2023
Disarming disinformation: piloting new proof technology
A pioneering system aimed at preventing the spread of disinformation and creating verifiable content from capture to publication is being road tested in a serie...
15/08/2023
Connect 6: The magic of mentoring
To mark the Thomson Foundation's 60th year of nurturing and training journalists globally, we matched six talented young journalists with six of the best in...
07/08/2023
Backing brave journalism in challenging places long-term
In the autumn of 2022, I was introduced to a young Afghan journalist in London. Zahra Joya had fled Kabul a year before as the Taliban swept through the city. A...
27/07/2023
Award winning inspiration from young journalists
Pursuing independent journalism is more important than ever. Right now, we are not just facing one or two crises. The crises that journalists are facing are not...
05/07/2023
From trainee to trainer: The man who brought Mojo to Sri Lanka
KC Saranga has trained more than 1,000 journalists, students and people in marginalised communities in Sri Lanka on how to tell stories using their mobile phone...
04/07/2023
Top quality entries for EU Investigative Journalism Award
A total of 267 applications from 7 countries, representing 125 media outlets and featuring a diverse group of authors (both individuals and groups), have been s...
03/07/2023
Young Journalist Award 2023 is open for entries
Since 2013 our Young Journalist Award has celebrated the outstanding young talent in the media profession. The award is an opportunity for those brilliant young...
28/06/2023
Transforming cultural journalism in the Western Balkans
A new project is underway in the Western Balkans to transform digital storytelling and engage public audiences with creative and culture-related content. Aroun...
19/06/2023
Reaching the million+ Ukrainian refugees in Germany
Staying informed about everyday life and events in Ukraine is crucially important for the refugees who have fled the war. By April 2023, 1.06 million Ukrai...
14/06/2023
Rwandan journalists awarded funds to support investigations
Equipped with new investigative journalism skills and financial support after recently completing a training programme, 15 Rwandan journalists are empowered to ...
22/05/2023
Unveiling a seminal course on AI ethics in the newsroom
The Thomson Foundation is proud to unveil a pioneering free, online training course designed to help newsrooms address a defining issue of the modern age: the e...
12/05/2023
60 years: Our alumni s stories
Sixty years after it was founded Thomson Foundation - now joined by the Berlin based Thomson Media, continues to innovate. Its blended approach to life-long lea...
09/05/2023
Investigative journalism competition Western Balkans and Trkiye
Journalists from Western Balkans countries and T rkiye are invited to submit their investigative stories for the EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2023. On...
06/05/2023
Media under siege: how journalists are being silenced.
The onslaught of false news against real news is unprecedented. In the Middle East, an alarming trend of people doubting published news is overwhelming, Mohamm...
04/05/2023
Why Moldova is ahead of Romania in Media freedom
This article is written by Vitalie Cojocari, a journalist and broadcaster with Euronews in Romania. He is a mentor for the Thomson Media project EU support for ...
26/04/2023
Connect 6: The power of mentoring
Three months after Thomson Foundation offered six young journalists a once-in-a-lifetime chance', its world-class mentoring programme Connect 6' is re...
25/04/2023
Let's hear it for audio
Despite reports to the contrary, radio isn't dead. In fact, not only has it been revived but its combined with its close cousins, the podcast and the long r...
25/03/2023
Finding their voice - the women bringing parity to Pakistan's media
To increase women's participation; these four words, written down in four seconds, in a proposal can take months, if not years to achieve. Especially, wh...
24/03/2023
Rwanda: developing a course for investigative journalists in Rwanda.
When I started out as an investigative journalist, there were few practising journalists in Kenya to learn from or manuals that I could read to sharpen my skill...
23/03/2023
Journalift: Access all languages
Journalists in the Western Balkans have been given access to free resources and training in their own languages thanks to a unique platform launched by Thomson ...
22/03/2023
Ukraine: collaboration in time of war
One million refugees have been welcomed into Germany since the Russian invasion who aside from being far from home have lost contact with their community and in...
21/03/2023
Building the Resilience and Relevance of independent media
Millions of people in Tajikistan have read, watched and listened to an extraordinary social media campaign which has clearly shown the population's hunger f...
08/03/2023
Valley Voices: Accessing women s voices
It's August in Pakistan and much of the country is underwater. Catastrophic flooding has killed hundreds, left millions homeless and destroyed infrastructur...
15/02/2023
She Leads Media: Bettina Fellowship scales up at Africa Media Festival
A strong, fearless and effective media, where talent is recognised and rewarded regardless of gender. That's the goal of She Leads Media: Bettina Fellowshi...
07/02/2023
Bad news for false news: how we re countering misinformation in Sudan
Our pioneering WhatsApp course is leading the way in training journalists and citizens to spot misinformation and disinformation in Sudan - a country targeted b...
03/02/2023
Valley Voices: Empowering women in rural Pakistan
The finale of the third Valley Voices project saw women journalists and writers gain confidence in writing about some of the more controversial topics facing wo...
23/01/2023
Connect 6: Thomson Foundation launches mentor programme
Take six of the brightest young journalists and connect them to six of the best in the industry and you have the recipe for Connect 6', a new, world-class ...
10/01/2023
Unique new course on the art of writing news analysis
You're a journalist and news breaks that Pele, arguably the greatest footballer the world has ever known, has died. A colleague in your newsroom is assigned...