Carlos Fernando Chamorro Barrios (born )
is a Nicaraguan independent investigative journalist. He is the founder and editor of
Confidencial
''Confidencial'' is a Nicaraguan weekly newspaper in Nicaragua with offices in the capital Managua. It was founded in 1996 by Carlos Fernando Chamorro Barrios, Chamorro is the former director of the Sandinista National Liberation Front newspaper ...
, a news website and weekly publication combining investigative journalism and analyses of current affairs. He also hosts two television news shows, ''Tonight'' and ''This Week''. Chamorro is the youngest son of former president of Nicaragua
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
Violeta Barrios Torres de Chamorro (; 18 October 1929) is a Nicaraguan politician who served as President of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1997. She was the first and, as of 2022, only woman to hold the position of president of Nicaragua.
Born int ...
and
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal
Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal (23 September 1924 – 10 January 1978) was a Nicaraguan journalist and publisher. He was the editor of '' La Prensa'', the only significant opposition newspaper to the long rule of the Somoza family. He is a ...
, a Nicaraguan journalist and editor of
''La Prensa'' who was shot to death in January 1978 during the
Somoza regime (the paper was critical of the regime).
During the first
Sandinista
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
regime and through 1994, Chamorro was editor in chief of the government newspaper
''Barricada''.
Early life and Sandinista work
Carlos Fernando Chamorro studied at
Colegio Centro America. Then, Chamorro attended college at
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
in Montreal, graduating in 1977. He then returned to Nicaragua intended to study for a master's degree and then work to address poverty in the country.
He instead decided to join the revolutionary effort to effect change for nation's poor.
Covertly, Chamorro attended small-arms training, studied Marxism and joined the propaganda section of the
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...
(FSLN),.
becoming chief of the Agitation and Propaganda Department.
His father was assassinated the following year, prompting Chamorro to turn to journalism, becoming a reporter at his father's former paper
''La Prensa''.
Following the fall of the Somoza regime, Chamorro's mother briefly joined the
Sandinista junta,
but became disenchanted in less than a year and, with Chamorro's siblings
Pedro Joaquín and
Cristiana, returned to ''La'' ''Prensa'', which she turned into an opposition paper again, but this time opposing the FSLN.
This prompted a number of departures from the paper, including Chamorro who became editor in chief of
''Barricada'', the FSLN's newspaper, which had taken over the physical plant of the Somozas regime's paper,
''Novedades''.
(Meanwhile his uncle
Xavier Chamorro sold his shares of ''La Prensa'' to found ''
El Nuevo Diario
''El Nuevo Diario'' was a Nicaraguan newspaper, with offices in the capital Managua.
History
In 1980, the owner of ''La Prensa'' fired the editor Xavier Chamorro Cardenal. Eighty percent of the papers employees left with Chamorro Cardena due to ...
'', which was sympathetic to the FSLN, and Chamorro's sister
Claudia joined the FSLN government as ambassador to
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
, while Chamorro's brother
Pedro Joaquín left Nicaragua to join the
Contras
The Contras were the various U.S.-backed and funded right-wing rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 in opposition to the Marxist Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction Government in Nicaragua, which came to power in 1979 fol ...
.)
In 1984, Chamorro was in charge of publicity for
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguans, Nicaraguan revolutionary and politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator of the ...
's campaign for President.
In 1990, Chamorro's mother was elected President of Nicaragua, defeating FSLN's
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguans, Nicaraguan revolutionary and politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator of the ...
. Chamorro had opposed his mother's candidacy, feeling it was counter-revolutionary and a sign of the weakness of the conservative party that nominated her.
After she won, he remained at ''Barricada'' though it was no longer the government newspaper.
It continued to be strongly sympathetic to the FSLN and critical of the new government, but also developed new editorial independence: expanding beyond a strictly political project allowed for new reporting projects.
This departure from strictly promotional material to including investigations that sometimes embarrassed the FSLN drew ire from some orthodox members and, following the party congress in 1994, the FSLN took back control of the paper. Chamorro and other top editors were fired.
Independent journalism
In June 1995 Chamorro began the weekly television newsmagazine "Esta Semana" and Cinco, and in 1996, he founded the news website Confidencial.
Chamorro was a Knight Fellow at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in 1997–1998.
He spent the following year at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, teaching reporting on Central America and taking classes, as well as learning from US newsmedia like ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' and
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
.
In 2005 Chamorro began his daily news show, ''Esta Noche''.
He won the 2010 Maria Moors Cabot Prize from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
In January 2019, Chamorro went into exile in Costa Rica, after the police raid of Confidencial's offices on 14 December 2018, the same day they searched offices of a number of non-governmental organizations that alleged human rights violations by the government. Chamorro returned in late November of the same year.
Chamorro went into exile again in June of 2021 after his siblings were arrested by the Nicaraguan authorities. He was also charged with various financial crimes.
Honors
In 2010, Chamorro won a
Maria Moors Cabot Prize
The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes are the oldest international awards in the field of journalism. They are presented each fall by the Trustees of Columbia University to journalists in the Western hemisphere who are viewed as having made a significant co ...
, administered by the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City.
Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...
. The award citation said Chamorro "serves as an outstanding example of courage in standing up to abuse by an authoritarian regime."
In 2021, Chamorro won a
Ortega y Gasset Award for lifetime achievement in Spanish-language journalism, awarded by ''
El País
''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...
''. The jury for the prize commended him as "an emblem of the defense of freedom of expression."
Personal life
Chamorro is married and has three children.
References
1950s births
Living people
Carlos Fernando
Male journalists
Nicaraguan publishers (people)
Nicaraguan journalists
Year of birth missing (living people)
McGill University alumni
Children of presidents of Nicaragua
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