Sebastian Comabella
Peru gained independence from Spain on July 28, 1821, under the leadership of José de San Martín. The capital is Lima, and the official languages are Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. With a population of around 34 million, the currency is the Peruvian sol (PEN). Located in western South America, Peru is renowned for its rich indigenous heritage, particularly the Inca Empire and the famous site of Machu Picchu nestled in the Andes. It also boasts a diverse geography ranging from coastal deserts to high mountains and dense Amazonian jungles.
As it stands, Peru is currently ranked number 125 on the RSF index, which is a drop from their 2023 ranking of 110. Press freedom is said to be guaranteed and protected under law, but this is not enforced as journalists constantly find themself being harassed and attacked. In recent years reliable media outlets have started to publish and spread misinformation causing turmoil for Peruvians on who to trust. Due to this, most Peruvians get their news from TikTok and other online social media as the political climate has gutted the news in terms of reliability. Journalists are creating nonprofit news outlets to combat this issue but it is still rare to come by.
Watchdog Journalism in South America
by
Since the 1980s, investigative journalism has undergone startling development in South America, where repressive regimes have long relegated such reporting to marginal publications or underground outlets. Watchdog Journalism in South America explores the rise of critical journalism in four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Drawing upon interviews with journalists and editors and analyzing selected news stories from each country, Silvio Waisbord offers a unique look at the significant differences between critical reporting in developing democracies and that already in place in the United States and European democracies. As Waisbord demonstrates, critical reporting in South America can be better understood as watchdog journalism than as investigative reporting as understood in the tradition of Anglo-American journalism. Examining the historical absence of a muckraking press, he argues that watchdog journalism represents new political and media dynamics and discusses the emergence of a new journalistic culture and its contributions to the quality of democracy and public debates about morality, truth, and accountability.
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