The Media Project América Latina

09/21/2026

The Latin America Journalism Institute took place September 2-4 in Lima, Peru, bringing together 20 journalists from nine countries across the region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.

Sessions explored why religion reporting matters in Latin America; artificial intelligence in religion reporting; freedom of the press in restricted contexts; ethics in religion reporting; and Christianity, elections, and public life.

Participants also examined the role of Christian faith in recent elections and public debates in Chile, Peru and Argentina, with particular attention to how religious belief, moral language, church networks and faith-based identity shape political behavior and public discourse. Faculty members included TMP Board Member Reynaldo Aragon of Lima, Peru; Graciela Ibanez of Santiago, Chile; and Melissa Harrison of Dallas, Texas.

Participants left eager to remain connected, strengthen the TMP network, and expand opportunities for journalists throughout Latin America.

07/15/2026

The Media Project is pleased to host the Latin America Journalism Institute in Lima, Peru, from Sept. 2-4, 2026.

This three-day gathering will bring together 20 selected journalists from Peru and across Latin America for training and collaboration on religion reporting and public life.

Participants will explore press freedom, the growth of Protestant Christianity, faith’s influence on politics and recent elections and how Pope Leo XIV’s ties to Peru are shaping religious coverage.

Please click the link to complete this form.

01/03/2026

Mientras el presidente Nicolás Maduro es trasladado a Nueva York para enfrentar un juicio por delitos de narcotráfico y terrorismo, tras haber sido capturado en horas de la madrugada por fuerzas estadounidenses por orden del presidente Donald Trump, una serie de llamados a la oración han sido emitidos por líderes evangélicos y organizaciones eclesiales ante la situación que vive el país.

En los últimos meses, Maduro buscó acercarse a la iglesia evangélica, como ocurrió el pasado mes de noviembre, cuando el presidente convocó a líderes eclesiales a un tiempo de “oración por la paz” frente a las amenazas de Trump.

Mientras el presidente Nicolás Maduro es trasladado a Nueva York para enfrentar un juicio por delitos de narcotráfico y terrorismo, tras haber sido capturado en horas de la madrugada por fuerzas estadounidenses por orden del presidente Donald Trump, una serie de llamados a la oración han sido emi...

07/25/2025

Could the flourishing history of journalism provide clues for enabling it to flourish in future? Why is society’s watchdog, the press, with its long and often honorable pedigree, going feral? Failing to bark at misrepresentation and fraud, while snarling at truth?

Why does journalism have the privileged position it does? As commercialization collides with the greatest communication revolution since Gutenberg, why are both revenues and media ethics in meltdown?

(EXCERPT) Could the flourishing history of journalism provide clues for enabling it to flourish in future? Why is society’s watchdog, the press, with its long and often honorable pedigree, going feral? Failing to bark at misrepresentation and fraud, while snarling at truth? Why does journalism hav...

12/18/2024

The number of countries who impose heavy government restrictions on religious freedom peaked in 2022, according to a new study released on Wednesday.

While the global median score on the Government Restrictions Index (based on several factors) held steady in 2022 at 3.0 out of 10, the number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions on religion rose to 59, which accounts for 30% of the 198 countries and territories Pew Research Center studied.

While the global median score on the Government Restrictions Index (based on several factors) held steady in 2022 at 3.0 out of 10, the number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government religious restrictions rose to 59, which accounts for 30% of the 198 countries and terri...

09/20/2024

The Vatican gave Catholics the go-ahead on Thursday to continue visiting the Bosnian village of Medjugorje, a place millions deem holy after children had reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary there decades ago.

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a statement that fell short of declaring the apparitions as “authentic” — but instead recognized the “positive fruits” for pilgrims stemming from the spiritual experience.

The Vatican note recognized what it called “abundant conversions” of people who had visited the site in the past — adding that a “desire awakened in the context of Medjugorje to give (pilgrims) deeply to the service of God in obedience to the church, or to give themselves with greater commitment to the life of faith in their home parish.”

The Vatican gave Catholics the green light to continue visiting the Bosnian village of Medjugorje, where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary some four decades ago. The Vatican's doctrinal office released a statement that fell short of declaring the apparitions “authentic” — but...

09/05/2024

On a sunny day, Lucio Jimenez Ocampo accompanies us to his coffee plantations. Coffee here is hidden under the shade of trees that support its growth. Similar to many other farmers from the Sierra Mixe region in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, in 2015, he lost nearly all his coffee plants to coffee rust — a plague that thrives in hot and humid weather.

Today, his coffee plants are tall, healthy and abundant enough to support his entire family. Apart from the hard work Jimenez Ocampo does on the plantations, his family also performs rituals to help coffee grow.

“My parents do the rituals, and this way they secure good harvest,” said 40-year-old coffee producer. “We kill a turkey, bring tepache and mezcal to the plantation and eat there with the workers. We also perform the ritual after the harvest to give thanks and ask for permission to carry out all the following activities in the field without any danger."

The Mixe language continues to thrive. The Mixe people consider themselves never conquered, and turkey — an animal native to the Americas before colonization — is served at all significant events. Asking Mother Earth for permission and for the well-being of the plants does not only accompany cof...

07/30/2024

News audiences have been consumed by the onrush of the Donald Trump assassination attempt, Joe Biden’s extraordinary fall and Kamala Harris’s rise. But Catholics who follow religious events got other eye-popping news July 1 from CruxNow.com, an excellent and influential journalistic outlet on church events.

(ANALYSIS) Why rake muck? For one thing, it’s biblical. Recall Scripture’s narratives about the venerated King David’s adultery and homicide or St. Peter’s multiple denials of Jesus Christ. It encourages healthy reflection on the forgiveness of sins, the ways power is misused, the dangers of...

07/19/2024

On the night of June 18, 1983, 10 women, from a 57-year-old mother to a 17-year-old student, were held in Adel Abad Prison they were executed in Chowgan Square in Shiraz, Iran, on charges that they belonged to the Baha’i faith.

Even though the Ukrainian Orthodox Church tries to stay independent of Russian officials, agents have dressed in priestly robes to get information.

While Muslim athletes from other countries can wear hijabs during the upcoming Paris Olympics, athletes from France are banned from donning the head coverings.

These were just a few of the stark examples of religious intolerance that were discussed at the fourth annual Religious Liberty Summit at the University of Notre Dame from July 9-11.

The theme of the conference, which took place at the school’s campus in South Bend, Indiana, was “Depolarizing Religious Liberty,” which still depends too much on one's race, faith or nationality. The highlight of the summit was an awards program and gala where the Religious Liberty Clinic was...

07/11/2024

Dr. Nina Balmaceda just finished a years-long project focused on uncovering the sacred story of Peace and Hope International over its first 25 years, emphasizing the spiritual dimensions of social and political renewal in Peru and Latin America.

Her research has focused primarily on the organization's distinct spiritual understanding of love, deeply rooted in its Christian tradition, as not only an interpersonal commitment but a political and social responsibility as well.

Through qualitative interviews, focus groups, field visits and documentary reviews, Balmaceda, the associate director for the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity and national director for Peace and Hope International, has explored the ethical and spiritual foundations of Peace and Hope’s role in Latin America’s political and social renewal. Emphasizing theologically grounded love as the key to sociopolitical transformation, the work aims to make visible the invisible, showcasing the story of a spiritual movement in Latin America.

Dr. Nina Balmaceda recently finished a project focused on uncovering the story of Peace and Hope International over its first 25 years, emphasizing the spiritual dimensions of social and political renewal in Latin America. Her research has focused on the organization's spiritual understanding of lov