Guatemala City, Guatemala

TRACE Foundation Fellow

García, 28, began reporting in January for Plaza Pública in Guatemala after working for a news magazine in her home country. The Global Investigative Journalism Network describes Plaza Pública as a news laboratory with a narrative identity based on long and deep investigations. Its emphasis is on social justice issues and subject matter not often covered in mainstream national newspapers.”

Jody will work for the Miami Herald and its sister news outlet, El Nuevo Herald, during her fellowship after training at the Missouri School of Journalism. 

García collaborated with The New York Times in August 2021 for an investigation about corruption in Guatemala and the Biden administration’s reluctance to intercede, even after Guatemala’s top anti-corruption prosecutor revealed massive bribery linked to the country’s president and was fired.

García collaborated with Telemundo News for stories in 2021 about Guatemalan migrants seeking to reach the United States. She also wrote stories as part of the Climate Tracker fellowship program about the impact of storms and hurricanes in Guatemala, and how palm oil companies encroach on indigenous land.

García, who has nine years of experience working for independent newspapers,  now writes for La Cuerda, a feminist magazine covering social justice, protests, gender and politics, migration, investigation and human rights. 

She worked for the investigative news outlet Nómada until it closed in 2020, specializing in judiciary and political coverage, corruption investigations, human rights, gender issues, migration and social justice. One example is a story on how the former president and the business sector financed a plan to disband the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, a part of the United Nations that went after corrupt people in the government. 

 

From her application essay: 

“Two weeks ago I was covering a demonstration in the center of Guatemala City. My work kit included masks, sanitizer, a cell phone, a helmet, water with vinegar for tear gas, special protective glasses and extra batteries for the phone. Serious accusations of corruption against the governments and manipulation in the justice system have aroused citizen indignation and the government’s reaction has been increasingly repressive. I started to report on a peaceful demonstration and I ended up reporting police brutality against protesters and journalists.”

A former editor called “one of the most complete journalists in Guatemala…She is passionate about investigative journalism. She is committed to the search for the truth.”