Ecuador is fighting a broad war against different organized criminal organizations, which have claimed the lives of more than 2,300 people in the first three months of this year. The increasing violence has kept the country in a state of emergency. To learn more about this issue, a group of Ecuadorian journalists participated in the “Ensuring Accountability through In-depth Reporting” program implemented by the Media for Democracy Foundation (MFD), June 8-13.
During the program, six Ecuadorian journalists held several meetings with U.S. government officials, representatives of civil society organizations, and investigative journalists covering transnational criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere. Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador, the program aims to familiarize participants with institutions and initiatives that promote accountability in the United States.
The program, which took place in Washington, D.C., allowed participants to interview security experts, congressional staffers, law enforcement agents, investigative journalists, data analysts, and accountability experts.
Adam Isacson and John Walsh, policy experts from the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and Julia Yansura, Program Director for Environmental Crime and Illicit Finance at the FACT Coalition, provided insights about how criminal organizations have penetrated several sectors, including the illegal mining industry.
The program taught journalists how civil society organizations implement accountability projects demanding better public policies.
Steven Dudley, co-founder and director of Insight Crime, highlighted the challenges journalists faced when covering crime and corruption in Latin America. Journalists in Ecuador face threats and intimidation when covering violence and security issues.
Program participants also met with data analysts from the Center for Advanced Security Studies (C4ADS), who introduced an analytical toolkit for investigators to aid in open-source research and support ongoing work disrupting transnational illicit networks.
The journalists met with government officials at the Foreign Press Center and the National Press Club.
The Media for Democracy Foundation (MFD) builds coalitions supporting media freedom and democratic values.
