Coping with the Death of Press Freedom

In the third episode, we deal with the death of press freedom. Press freedom can be defined as the right of newspapers and magazines to report the news without government control. By analysing data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists across 180 countries worldwide, the annual report of the World Press Freedom Index ranks each country according to how free it is. The 2022 report shows a decreasing trend worldwide, due to increased polarisation and disinformation narratives.

In this episode, we are joined by Monica Baro Sanchez, an independent investigative Cuban journalist. In 2019 she published a story about lead poisoning in Cuba called “La Sangre Nunca Fue Amarilla” or Blood was never yellow, which had two kinds of impacts. Firstly, she won the ‘Gabriel García Márquez Journalism Award’, one of Latin America’s highest honours. Secondly, the State Security Department of the Cuban government began a harassment campaign and jail threats that forced her to leave the country and move to Spain.

Monica is still active in Cuba, even though she now writes from abroad. And, if she can get a student visa in time, she’s been offered a scholarship and a fellowship at New York University.