Tag: journalism

The Confession

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He’s responsible for 53 executions, now he faces his victims | Fault Lines Documentary

Jun 21, 2023

Fault Lines captures the confession of a Colombian colonel responsible for the deaths of 53 innocent civilians and asks their families for forgiveness in exchange for amnesty. In the mid-2000s, Colombia sought to prove it was finally winning its long-running war against the country’s armed rebels. Military top brass pressured ground troops to kill more fighters in action. As a result, soldiers executed thousands of civilians, framing them as rebel fighters, and called them “false positives”. Soldiers who delivered the highest body counts were rewarded with bonuses, promotions, and other perks. In 2022, Colombia’s truth commission revealed at least 6,402 civilians were executed between 2002 and 2008. Now, as a result of Colombia’s historic 2016 peace deal, military officials responsible for these atrocities can qualify for amnesty in exchange for truthful testimony about their war crimes.

Director: Jeremy Raff Producers: Bruno Federico, Simone Bruno, Jeremy Raff Directory of Photography: Bruno Federico and Jeremy Raff Editor: Leslie Atkins Executive Producer: Laila Al-Arian Fact Checking: Jeremy Young Digital Producer: Riham Mansour Archivist: Shelley Simpson Sound mix: Luke Rohwer Colorist: Edwin Rodriguez Special thanks: Kavitha Chekuru and Adrienne Haspel This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

Taking on Trump. ABC Foreign Correspondent

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Wyoming is the most pro-Trump state in the country. And respected Republican Liz Cheney is about to find out what that means. Despite consistently backing Trump in office, she’s now one of his staunchest critics, attacking him for refusing to concede defeat in the 2020 election, and for his actions on January 6. As she seeks her party’s nomination for a 4th term in Congress, Donald Trump is going all out to stop her, endorsing and campaigning for another candidate, who’s also switched sides.

Producer/reporter: Kathryn Diss
Executive producer: Lisa McGregor
Camera: Bruno Federico
Editor: Leah Donovan

PBS NewsHour. Yielding to U.S. pressure, Mexico clamps down on migrants

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Thousands of migrants from around the world, many seeking asylum, have been trying to reach the U.S. by flying to South America and taking the long trek north. But after pressure from President Trump, Mexican authorities are stopping many migrants from passing through their country, stranding them in the city of Tapachula. Special correspondent Nadja Drost and videographer Bruno Federico report.

PBS Newshour. Families of Colombia’s disappeared endure ‘never-ending grief’ and a wrenching search

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May 8, 2019

In Colombia, an estimated 83,000 people have been forcibly disappeared since 1958. But peace accords between the government and the FARC, the country’s largest guerrilla group, in 2016 mandated that finding the missing was a necessary step toward reconciliation. Special correspondent Nadja Drost reports from Colombia on how loved ones suffering a “never-ending grief” are searching for closure.

PBS Newshour. FARC drops its weapons, but Colombia’s deadly conflict goes on

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Despite the peace deal, new waves of deadly violence are hitting many areas of Colombia, especially those once under FARC-rebel control. And it’s targeting the very people — activists and social leaders — for whom the peace deal was supposed to make life safer. Special correspondent Nadja Drost and videographer Bruno Federico report in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Italy discouraging flow of migrants from North Africa

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Italy has received 500,000 migrants and refugees from North Africa who have fled war, extreme poverty and oppression during the last three years. But the country, which had a reputation of welcoming migrants, has received backlash for it and is starting to discourage the migrant flow. For the NewsHour Weekend with Special Correspondent Nadja Drost reports.

PBS Newshour. As Venezuela’s economy plummets, mass exodus ensues

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Despite having the largest oil reserves in the world, Venezuela’s economy is in a freefall, necessities have become scarce and tens of thousands of residents are fleeing across the border to Colombia. For the PBS Newshour, with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, special correspondent Nadja Drost and videographer Bruno Federico report on the exodus.

The Overseas Press Club Award for our PBS Newshour series “Fight for Peace.”

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C7jHsv3WkAEJUS0.jpg_largeVery happy our series, with Nadja Drost, about Colombia’s peace process for the PBS NewsHour received the Overseas Press Club Award for best reporting on Latin America. Thank you to PBS for giving us the opportunity to tell this important story to the North American public and to join this super team of producers: Morgan Till, Patti Parson, and Sara Just.

Here are the reports in the award-winning series:

Can Colombia rework its FARC deal without jeopardizing peace? PBS NewsHour

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos joins PBS NewsHour

What peace in Colombia would mean for the drug trade and those who depend on it. PBS NewsHour

Inside Colombia’s jungles, how FARC rebels are preparing for peace. PBS NewsHour

 

Can Colombia rework its FARC deal without jeopardizing peace? PBS NewsHour

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Colombia was on the verge of ending one of the most violent civil wars in Latin America just slightly more than a month ago, when the deal was narrowly rejected by a voter referendum. President Juan Manuel Santos now faces the challenge of re-writing the deal to make it favorable to those who voted against it while still keeping it agreeable to FARC. Special correspondent Nadja Drost reports.

What peace in Colombia would mean for the drug trade and those who depend on it. PBS NewsHour

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As Colombian officials negotiate with FARC rebels to end the country’s 50-year civil war, the illegal drug trade — used by the rebels to help finance their insurgency — has become a major point of debate. Special correspondents Bruno Federico and Nadja Drost travel to the heart of coca production in Colombia to examine how the drug market works and the impact of a potential peace deal.