Cambia la Historia Project

This project seeks to narrate violence in a way that explores its structural dimension and how social and cultural patterns are replicated in the region, while at the same time providing solutions. With this constructive journalism approach, stories are intended to inspire and portray formulas for improvement instead of leading to a sense of despair.  

In the first phase of Cambia la Historia (2021), the project brought together and trained reporters from nine local media outlets in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. In 2022, the project joined forces with the digital and feminist media outlet Alharaca from El Salvador to expand its reach to journalists from the Dominican Republic and Honduras and to more outlets in El Salvador. Journalists participating in the project were supported by editors and experts to use what they had learned during training to develop stories about violence against women and the LGBTQI+ community. Story investigations that emerged covered topics as diverse as the situation of older women, mental health, life in prison, disability, the right to abortion, obstetric violence or forced sterilisation policies, and gender bias in health.

For example, a story by reporters from Pie de Página in Mexico, looked at how the lack of a public care system leaves many older women in Mexico in a potentially vulnerable situations. The story exposes the structural violence perpetrated by family members, society, and the government, yet it also showcases a group of older women who have managed to develop and maintain a loving and caring support network for more than 20 years. This story is available in English here. Another story from journalists Diana Manzo and Paulina Rios from Oaxaca, Mexico, is about obstetric violence against women (harm inflicted during or in relation to pregnancy, childbearing, and the postpartum period) - something they themselves suffered. At the same time, the authors explore the work of traditional midwives, whose practice has been revived in recent years and represents an alternative.

The multimedia stories produced by the project - including written articles, podcasts, videos, photo stories, and comics - are disseminated through the participants' independent media channels and are published online on the portal cambialahistoria.info.

Click here to find out more about some of the reporters and news outlets involved in the project.  

Click here [PDF] to download "Change the Story! How to Tell Gender Violence from a Constructive Perspective" [2023, only available in Spanish]. Produced as part of the project, the publication seeks to contribute to the discussion on constructive journalism in the context of Latin America. Through contributors who have used this approach, it explores their diverse experiences with constructive journalism, and the opportunities and limitations they see in this approach. The publication is meant to encourage media professionals to embrace the constructive approach to journalism and to continue building a pertinent definition from a Latin American perspective.

Click here to watch a Facebook video on the project.