Journalists helped stabilize a new Colombia

Colombia signifies a country that has fought through terrorism and years of warfare, a country once known for merciless militias that is, while not guerilla-free, a frequent topic of brighter discussions. 

“Global media have shifted significantly in the way they cover Colombia,” Michael LaRosa and German Mejia wrote in a 2.012 history of the country. 

“Stories focusing on tourism, restaurants, Colombian tennis stars, and positive reviews of literary works…suggest the US media’s perception of the Andean nation is evolving away from the myopic, one-dimensional view that marked earlier portrayals of the country.”

And as for domestic journalists and their perceptions : It’s easier for reporters to focus on a country’s positives when they aren’t being murdered. 

A career in Colombian journalism today, though, is no longer a notarized death wish. 

Sporadic violence against reporters still exists, Elida Parra Alonso, a Colombian radio journalist, was kidnapped from her home by guerillas on July 24 in the northeastern region of Arauca (she was freed August 13) but dead journalists are much less a seasonal feature in Colombia today.

Improvements in conditions for reporters parallel the general path of progress the country has moved along in recent years : tourism, foreign direct investment, and living standards are all rising. 

Colombia regularly stages national elections and the peaceable transfer of power. 

Barack Obama signed into law a free trade agreement with Colombia last year. 

The country’s acceleration as a modern state is partly ascribed to its exhaustion with the poison of guerilla warfare (Farc is quite unpopular) and a hearty investment in national security. 

On paper, Colombia has had a constitution protective of civil rights for decades. 

Its constitution of 1.991 abolished the death penalty, officially disconnected the Colombian government from the Catholic Church, and contains standard language enshrining free speech. 

But steady and often brave journalism deserves a portion of the credit.