Best reporting in any medium on Latin America
AWARD DATE: 2018
AWARD NAME: The Robert Spiers Benjamin Award 2018
AWARD RECIPIENT: Caracas Bureau
AWARD RECIPIENT AFFILIATION: Reuters
AWARD HONORED WORK: “Venezuela Coverage”
AWARD SPONSOR: Paula Dwyer
Venezuela is an extremely difficult country for journalist s right now. News organizations across the Americas produced gutsy, deep and harrowing coverage of Venezuela’s economic and social collapse. The Reuters’ Caracas bureau excelled in telling compelling stories of the wrenching decision taken by millions of Venezuelans to leave their country in order to survive. Also impressive was the Reuters investigation chronicling a Chinese company’s collaboration with the Maduro government on new, high-tech national ID cards that enable the regime to track citizens’ receipt of government services. Finally, the deep dive on the chaos within the country’s state-run oil company provided a road map to the country’s economic collapse. How a country that holds the world’s largest reserves of oil could be suffering a drop in oil production is one of the mysteries that confound outside observers; this Reuters analysis explains why, and makes it clear that increased military involvement in running the oil giant ties the armed forces ever closer to the Maduro administration.
Links:
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/venezuela-zte/
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/venezuela-bus/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-election-abstention-insight/a-venezuelan-paradox-maduros-critics-long-for-change-but-wont-vote-idUSKCN1IH1J8
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-pdvsa-military-specialrepor/special-report-oil-output-goes-awol-in-venezuela-as-soldiers-run-pdvsa-idUSKCN1OP0RZ
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-zte-exclusive/us-senators-ask-white-house-to-probe-zte-work-in-venezuela-idUSKCN1NX1WK
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-migration-insight/fleeing-hardship-at-home-venezuelan-migrants-struggle-abroad-too-idUSKCN1MP192
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cryptocurrency-venezuela-specialrepor/special-report-in-venezuela-new-cryptocurrency-is-nowhere-to-be-found-idUSKCN1LF15U
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-imports-exclusive/exclusive-as-venezuelans-suffer-maduro-buys-foreign-oil-to-subsidize-cuba-idUSKCN1IG1TO
https://www.reuters.com/article/venezuela-oil-workers/rpt-insight-under-military-rule-venezuela-oil-workers-quit-in-a-stampede-idUSL1N1RU025
Citation for Excellence Recipients: David Luhnow, Samantha Pearson, Juan Forero and Jose de Cordoba
Affiliation: The Wall Street Journal
Honored Work: “Silent Slaughter”
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“Walking to America”