Investigating Forest Fires Amid a Data Vacuum in Venezuela

In March 2020, environmental journalist Helena Carpio, leaned out of her window to see Caracas filled with smoke. Something was burning, but no one knew where and there was no official news on what was happening. She started to investigate, and the resulting project analyzed two decades of satellite data on hotspots to explore the when, where, and why of forest fires in Venezuela and across Latin America.

My Favorite Tools: Venezuela’s Lisseth Boon on Design and Data Visualization

Since her arrival at Runrun.es, Lisseth Boon has conducted investigations on human rights violations, gold trafficking, illegal mining, and environmental crimes, many of them recognized with national and international awards. Her team has also worked with media platforms both inside and outside of Venezuela such as Consejo de Redacción and Connectas in Colombia, Convoca in Perú, and Mongabay. It has also participated in transnational collaborative projects such as the Panama Papers, Fincen Files, Swiss Connection, Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash), Vigila La Pandemia, and Tierra de Resistencia.

Oportunidades (y desafíos) que ha traído la pandemia para los medios independientes de América Latina

En el foro virtual “Periodismo independiente, monetización y emprendimiento” que forma parte de la iniciativa #CharlasGIJN, organizada por la Red Global de Periodismo de Investigación, líderes de medios compartieron sus experiencias y se centraron en que las oportunidades y alternativas abundan, incluso en los contextos más difíciles y adversos como los de una pandemia.