Malayerba, the light for environmental journalism in Central America

The story of Evil plant is that of resistance journalism: a Salvadoran media outlet that was born in 2022 to become the first outlet in Central America specialized in environmental coverage. In the words of its founder, Carolina Amaya, Malayerba is “autonomous and free.”

“Evil plant He was born on National Day of the Lempa River, March 14. I decided on that date because I believe it is a symbolic date for Salvadorans, since that river is the mother of our water.”

Says Amaya, a 43-year-old Salvadoran journalist who worked in the newspaper Today’s Newspaper and in the digital magazine Locked cat in El Salvador, while he was hatching the idea of ​​founding his own media specialized in environmental journalism. Since graduating in journalism from the University of El Salvador, Amaya has dedicated herself to specializing in the environment.

Evil plant It is a quarry of young people seeking to tell why the environment is intertwined with the survival of humanity. Currently the medium has a team of five people. “We journalists have the power to change our reality. Although that seems somewhat utopian because not with all the notes you can achieve it, but in environmental journalism I believe that what we pursue beyond disseminating information is to generate changes.”

The first steps of doing in-depth topics achieved great changes: Amaya has written about the Lempa River, one of the longest rivers in Central America on which around 3.8 million people depend. He also managed to get the Assembly of El Salvador to approve a decree that prohibited the hunting of sharks of certain sizes and in 2018 he wrote about a race organized by the Salvadoran government in the Montecristo protected natural area.

“I knew the importance of that place for the runners just stepping on what’s there. So he made me so angry and I was wondering ‘why is no one else talking about this?’ Why does no one care that a protected natural area is destroyed just because a minister thought that it would look nice and that the Protected Natural Areas must be democratized,’” he told the magazine. Voice of America.

The week of publication, the Salvadoran government stopped the race. That was one more achievement for Amaya that prompted her to continue publishing under her signature, but this time in her own medium.

“I think that many colleagues in El Salvador and the Central American region recognize my work as an environmental journalist and I think that has also made me Evil plant “It is a solid project, although it does not have financial sustainability at the moment,” he said.

Herb It is a variant of the feminine name herb with which plants with tender stems are named. In nature, weeds are resistant species that grow in difficult climates and ecosystems. And although some have benefits for human health, they are eliminated every time they sprout in gardens and crops.

Just like in nature, the Evil plant It is that kind of unwanted journalism, which reveals environmental destruction, social inequalities and corruption related to the dispossession and change of land use. That journalism that the economic and political elites have silenced in the traditional media.

“The first song with which the Evil plant It was with the real estate cartel and the support of the current government administration in the destruction of the Cordillera del Bálsamo, in an area where the construction of any urbanization was prohibited. We handle it like mafias… that have gotten into local governments,” Amaya added.

This 2024, World Press Freedom Day has been dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current environmental crisis around the world.

“Journalists face great challenges in finding and disseminating information on current issues, such as supply chain problems, climate migration, extractive industries, illegal mining, pollution, poaching, animal trafficking, deforestation or climate change. Ensuring the visibility of these issues is crucial to promoting peace and democratic values ​​around the world,” said the United Nations.

At the end of 2023, the father of journalist Carolina Amaya was arrested along with four other peasant leaders after receiving threats from alleged representatives of a renewable energy generation company. Although he was released days later, for the journalist this case was the result of his work.

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