From July 25 to 27, Bogotá became the epicenter of the journalism and the Latin American culture. The 2025 edition of the Gabo Festival was also a tribute to the 30 years of the Gabo Foundationreaffirming its commitment to narration, reflection and encounter.
About 15,000 attendees gathered in the modern gym and in other stages of the city, which offered more than 100 free events and brought together 150 guests from 22 countries on the five continents.
Under the concept “See us closely”, The Gabo Festival proposed three days to stimulate critical thinking in a context crossed by challenges such as misinformation, tensions of the digital ecosystem and the use of artificial intelligence.
Fundamental journalistic issues were also addressed: the voices silenced by war, the control of power in Latin America, the exile of journalists and the need to strengthen the legacy of Gabriel García Márquez Through a rigorous journalism that exalts the investigation and value the gender of the chronicle.
The power to count, even when trying to silence
Dima Khatibdirector of AJ+, is one of the few women who lead media in the Middle East. He has made exile and resistance a way of narrating the world from the global south.
In his talk “Refugee I was born, Refugee Story”he talked with Carmen Aristegui -Referent of Latin American journalism- on the present of the trade and the coverage of the genocide of the Palestinian people.
After the dissertation, the governing council of the Gabo Foundation paid tribute to the journalists killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023 and who still risk life to inform in the middle of the siege. Fourteen members of the Council – form by journalists, writers and academics – read a collective message in recognition of the value and dignity of those who narrate in extreme situations.
Journalism in hostile contexts
During a Gabo Festival workshop, Joseph Poliszuk and Roberto Deniz -Gangators of recognition of excellence- shared tools to investigate and publish in scenarios marked by censorship, exile and persecution.
From your experience in Armando.info and the coverage of corruption networks such as Alex Saaboffered security keys, strategies to narrate from distance and ways to sustain journalistic rigor even in adverse conditions.
Research journalism against power and technology
Latin America experts and experts, the Caribbean and the European Union analyzed how socio -political and technological ecosystems transform research journalism on both sides of the Atlantic.
They discussed the main obstacles and strategies that allow journalists to maintain rigor and courage in their investigations. An essential conversation about the present and future of journalistic research, a field of artificial intelligence.
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Artificial intelligence or human intelligence?
The emergence of artificial intelligence in the new communication formats was analyzed as a phenomenon that presents both opportunities and risks. Its usefulness was highlighted as a search tool, but questions about the origin of the data, intellectual property and possible political biases were also pointed out.
Faced with this scenario, the central role of research journalism was underlined to inquire how these technologies are regulated and how they impact the way society is informed.
The path of freedom
The pNobel Remio de Economics Joseph Stiglitzhe reflected on how the concept of freedom has been distorted by neoliberalism to benefit a few, which has deepened inequalities and weakened democracies. This scenario, he warned, has favored the rise of populist leaders who concentrate power for their own benefit and their nearby environments.
From his book Path of freedomStiglitz proposed to rethink the global financial system from an ethical, participatory and oriented perspective to the common good and the role of journalism against the dominant narratives of economic and political power.
The Gabo 2025 award -winners
He Gabo Award for Excellence 2025 It was awarded, at the Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Theater, Argentina Laura Zommer (checking and Factchequeado CEO), to the Brazilian Patricia Campos Mello (from the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo) and the Venezuelan site Armando.info.
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In the category coveragethe award went to Rio Bravo, the flow of the thousand dead migrants (El Universal, The Washington Post and Lighthouse Reports) from Mexico and the United States. The category photograph rewarded a Yolüja by Fernanda Pineda, from Baudó Public Agency, Colombia.
In imagewon In the hot – stories of a reggaeton warrior (The Cuban Joint, Zafra Media, Cacha Films, Caffeine Post) of Cuba and the United States. Finally, in textrecognition was for Looking for Mikelson: an apartheid in the Caribbean by Juan Martínez d’Aubuisson, regional writing and dromómanos, El Salvador and Mexico.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
