The next chapter: Santiago, Chile

It is
certainly an exciting time to be travelling to Chile as a journalist, with
civil unrest at its highest in years. Some opinion polls rank centre-right
president Sebastian Piñera as the least popular Chilean president since the
restoration of democracy in 1990. Piñera’s free market policies have attracted
criticism and anger from many Chileans who feel disenfranchised, despite the
country enjoying significant economic growth and falling unemployment rates.
Meanwhile regular
protests from students demanding free education from the government recently
culminated in 200,000 people marching through the streets of Santiago. High
school classrooms across the capital are being occupied by students whose
demonstrations are frequently met by violent police resistance. At a time when press
freedom is being increasingly curtailed – with journalists being arrested for
peacefully covering demonstrations - the role of the independent journalist is
more important than ever.
This blog will be used as a platform to display my work during my time in Chile. I hope that by the time I have finished I will have a far richer understanding of the country’s culture, history and society than that which I have been able to glean from literature.
This blog will be used as a platform to display my work during my time in Chile. I hope that by the time I have finished I will have a far richer understanding of the country’s culture, history and society than that which I have been able to glean from literature.
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