“Journalism cannot only be extractive, as in simply getting information and publishing it. Journalism must be a bridge between power and the voice of the citizenry, in all its diversity.”

Jennifer Avila Reyes is a journalist dedicated to expanding the stories told about human rights and politics in Honduras. She works to change narratives about women, young people, and Indigenous communities as a way to challenge existing power structures and protect the country’s free press. Jennifer began working as a journalist in 2011 in a small Honduran city and, since then, she has investigated corruption, gender-based violence, socio-environmental conflicts, political crises, and urban violence. Her reportage incorporates various media formats, including documentaries, opinion articles, and podcasts. In 2017, she co-founded Contracorriente, a digital media outlet focused on educating the public and training new generations of journalists.

Jennifer has won the Latin American Association Media Award and the Gabo Foundation Excellence Award. In 2021, Contracorriente won the Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington.

Jennifer’s work seeks to answer the questions, “How can journalists encourage citizens and the media to have more diverse, inclusive, and respectful conversations, and how can people use these to create change?” She believes that without press freedom, freedom of speech, and access to information and education, democracy and justice are not possible. Disrupting persistent inequality in the world requires dialogue and inclusive conversations around problems and their solutions.