Drug trafficking has become one of the main causes of problems relating to security, violence, corruption and weakening of democracy in the countries of Latin America. Fear of reporting on the topic continues to spread among journalists however, with increasingly fewer reporters venturing to cover drug trafficking and organized crime issues because they fear for their lives.
 
This project therefore is aimed at providing journalists who cover drug trafficking and organized crime, working along Colombia’s border zones, with training on self-protection mechanisms, complemented by key techniques of investigative journalism regarding the handling of confidential sources and information, in order to reveal the facts without affecting other persons’ safety. The component of research will be designed in the above context, seeking to cover narcotics from different angles and as a transnational phenomenon. This project also proposes to use the Cosecha Roja journalism network to enable new journalists to get involved in exchanging and sharing information, and form strategic alliances for investigation and reporting. This exchange must happen specifically among journalists from different countries, since this will significantly facilitate the search for information, saving resources and time, and above all, relate the facts, persons and gangs with their connections in the other countries. Media safety policy must be promoted to ensure that information on crucial issues such as drug trafficking and organized crime, which directly affect citizens’ daily lives, are made known to the entire society, so that society can make well-informed decisions.
 
The project will guarantee gender equality in the workshop participation and will utilize the knowledge of experts on safety of journalists and investigative journalism, capable of providing gender perspectives in the workshop contents.