Journalism has played an outsized role in Latin America’s political and cultural life, whether as a form of witnessing, an instrument of analysis or a tool for resistance and revolt. This course will look at work from across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exploring different approaches writers have taken, and highlighting a series of recurrent themes, foremost among them journalism’s tangled relationship with power. We will mainly focus on print, but will also deal with film, TV, and photography. Throughout, students will be encouraged to reflect on parallels between the reportage of the past and the contemporary media landscape.
