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May 1, 2023

Targeting the Messenger: A Conversation with Colombian Investigative Journalist Ricardo Calderon

Event Series: Spotlight on the Americas

Showing the Targeting the Messenger: A Conversation with Colombian Investigative Journalist Ricardo Calderon Video

The Georgetown Americas Institute welcomed Ricardo Calderon to talk about his work as an investigative journalist in Colombia. In a wide-ranging conversation with GAI Managing Director Denisse Yanovich, Calderon shared his experience investigating emblematic stories such as the “Assassination of the Haitian President, Jovenel Moise” and illegal espionage of political opponents by intelligence agencies in Colombia. Calderon also addressed the important role of investigative journalism in democracies and the threats faced under democratic backsliding.

This event was held in Spanish with no translation.

This event was streamed on YouTube. Read the event summary here

Featuring

Ricardo Calderon is a journalist in the investigative unit of Caracol Television, a Colombian news conglomerate. Before joining Caracol TV he worked at Revista Semana for 26 years in different capacities. Calderon’s work has been recognized with more than 25 national and international awards, including the Premio Rey de España for narrative journalism, the Simon Bolivar award for journalism, the Maria Moors Cabot award granted by Columbia University, and the award from the Inter American Association of Journalism, among many others. His work has led to the demotion of 31 generals, as well as the shutdown of Colombia’s intelligence agency and several military intelligence units. Ricardo holds a degree in communications from the Universidad de la Sabana and an M.A. in journalism from the Universidad del Rosario.

Denisse Yanovich (moderator) is the managing director of the Georgetown Americas Institute. Prior to joining Georgetown she was the deputy to the president at the Inter-American Dialogue, a leading think tank on Latin America. She was a counselor at the Embassy of Colombia in Washington, DC, managing their Public Diplomacy Program, and a research associate at Fedesarrollo, an economic policy think tank in Colombia. Yanovich holds a B.S. and M.A. in economics from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá and M.A. in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University College, London.