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It has been an honor covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean over the last five years. It’s one of the best jobs in journalism, and I can’t wait to see what the amazing @Abihabib will do when she takes over. More soon on what’s next for me (thread)
Too many people to thank, but my deepest gratitude is for those who helped me understand their countries and took risks to share their stories. I’m forever grateful. And my wonderful colleagues: @KirkSemple @Nataliekitro @eldacantu @anafernandasosa @Paulina_VV @ElisabethMalkin
I’m not usually one to share stories, but after 5 years here’s a few I’m most proud of, and those I believe/hope had impact.
11 incredibly brave women were tortured by Mexican police and denied justice for a decade. With @CentroProdh they brought their case to the @CIDH, which demanded an investigation into everyone responsible - including former president Enrique Peña Nieto https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/22/world/americas/women-of-atenco.html
The series of three stories on Pegasus, with the great @nicoleperlroth, which helped expose the illegal use of spyware against journalists and activists in Mexico. Shout out to @article19mex, @citizenlab and @R3Dmx for their incredible work. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/19/world/americas/mexico-spyware-anticrime.html
The story of Carlos and Vicky, who each had a child disappear into the abyss of cartel violence in Veracruz and then fell in love amid their desperate search for them. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/world/americas/mexico-drug-war-dead.html
An exclusive - the former government laundered millions of dollars in public funds to finance their party’s state elections, at least until prosecutors in Chihuahua caught them red-handed https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/world/americas/mexico-corruption-pri.html
Young men living in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, fighting to escape the existential violence surrounding them, the first in a series exploring why Latin America suffers the highest homicide rates in the world @robmuggah @igarape_org https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/04/world/americas/honduras-gang-violence.html
A young woman leaves her abusive partner. In a fit of rage, he kills her mother and threatens the family but is barely punished. They flee to the US, which has shut its doors. A microcosm of the injustice and inequality women face every day in the region https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/18/world/americas/guatemala-violence-women-asylum.html
How US gun laws flood surrounding nations with illegal firearms, fueling the homicide crises there. Told through the story of Briana, a 9mm handgun that made its way from North Carolina to Jamaica, where it was used to murder 9 people https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/25/world/americas/one-handgun-9-murders-how-american-firearms-cause-carnage-abroad.html
@Paulina_VV and I profiled a young Mexican sicario who had turned against his former cartel, the product of 1.5 yrs of interviews. We hoped his story might help explain the nation’s pandemic of violence. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/14/world/americas/sicario-mexico-drug-cartels.html
Sources inside the Mexican govt told us in May that federal officials were undercounting covid deaths by a factor of three in CDMX. Our story summoned an outcry from govt, but they never denied any of it. Today, deaths in Mexico have surpassed 85,000. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/08/world/americas/mexico-coronavirus-count.html
Special shoutout to @gregfwinter and @meslackman, whose boundless support made it all happen. thank you for the time, the space and the patience editing stories that always came in over the word limit.
