Colombian War Correspondent Catalina Gómez Ángel Defends 'Street Journalism' After Winning Gabo Award

Colombian journalist Catalina Gómez Ángel has been honored with the Gabo Award for Excellence 2026, using the platform to champion "street journalism" and the vital role of reporters embedded within communities. Upon receiving the award, she asserted that journalists are essential for "detecting and reporting those changes" and that the core of the profession "consists first in trying to understand."

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That is why we journalists are here, to detect those changes and report them. Our profession consists first in trying to understand, and I believe in the importance of being on the streets, traveling around the countries we cover, observing, conversing, but especially listening to those who have something to say.

"That is why we journalists are here, to detect those changes and report them. Our profession consists first in trying to understand, and I believe in the importance of being on the streets, traveling around the countries we cover, observing, conversing, but especially listening to those who have something to say," Gómez Ángel stated as she accepted the award from Jaime Abello Banfi, director and co-founder of the Gabo Foundation.

Based in Tehran for nearly two decades, Gómez Ángel expressed deep gratitude and a sense of responsibility upon receiving the recognition. She dedicated the award to "many women in Spanish and Portuguese languages who have chosen to tell the world from beyond our borders. Women who try to understand the societies behind those headlines that agencies send and give them a face."

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I do not do it in a personal capacity, I do it on behalf of many women in Spanish and Portuguese languages who have chosen to tell the world from beyond our borders. Women who try to understand the societies behind those headlines that agencies send and give them a face.

She also addressed the significant hurdles confronting international journalism today. These include the precarious economic situations of media outlets, restrictive measures imposed by certain governments, and a growing erosion of public trust. Gómez Ángel noted with concern that "sometimes it is compounded by the fact that in recent times they prefer to give access to 'influencers' who support their discourse rather than to journalists who question them and ask them questions."

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Sometimes it is compounded by the fact that in recent times they prefer to give access to 'influencers' who support their discourse rather than to journalists who question them and ask them questions.

Gómez Ángel recounted a personal experience covering protests in Tehran earlier this year. When internet and phone lines were cut, she relied on the methods of "old reporters like Gabo," venturing into the city to speak with people and grasp the unfolding events. This experience reaffirmed her belief in the value of on-the-ground reporting, even when faced with repression and the inability to fully comprehend the situation's scope. Her extensive experience includes covering conflicts and social movements in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Afghanistan for various media outlets. Notably, she survived a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, in June 2023, an incident that tragically claimed the life of Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina.

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That day I confirmed the value of being there, that perhaps it had been worth staying so many years in Iran. I did not have the answers nor did I grasp the dimension of what was happening in the country, but I had seen the repression and heard the testimonies.