Best reporting in any medium on Latin America
AWARD YEAR: 2013
AWARD NAME: The Robert Spiers Benjamin Award 2013
RECIPIENT: Simon Romero
AFFILIATION: The New York Times
HONORED WORK: Latin America’s New Paths
Simon Romero’s rich reporting and elegant writing provided readers with compelling stories that shed light on a variety of issues across Latin America. His insights on the factors driving protests in Brazil were deep and were accompanied by relevant stories such as those on public rage catching up with the country’s Congress, outsized pay in the civil service and the fact that the ruling leftist party was perplexed by the protests. His ability to weave cultural and political context into his reporting helps readers better appreciate the events he covered, be it from Venezuela, where his obituary of Hugo Chavez cast a spotlight on the state of the revolution he created; Argentina, for stories on its native son, the new pope; and even tiny Uruguay, to profile the president and his austere lifestyle.
Citation for Excellence:
Jon Lee Anderson
The New Yorker
“Slumlord”