Why we do what we do at PWS

The formal meeting of the crew in Colombia, an origin story, and the embodiment of a dream (as well as the eternal Spanish word of the week)

This week we’re trying something a little different. Usually our “Ship’s Logs” are for paid subscribers, but got a lot of new subscribers in the past two weeks and it seems like a good time to explain what we do, and where PWS comes from.

Plus, Amy is visiting the Colombian piratas, Joshua and Daniela. Being together made us think about our roots, what indie journalism is all about, and the eternal power of storytelling. Read on for an origin story, a poem to our readers and an ode to the power of human connections.

By the Pirate Wire Services crew

Last Saturday at around lunchtime, Daniela ventured down the gangway of the Good Ship Capybara as it docked in Bogotá. Just as she stepped onto the dock, a dinghy pulled up. Out tumbled Amy, weary from the long haul from Buenos Aires. Together, they scrambled back aboard, stowed the plank, and set sail once more.

It was the first time the crew had met.

We launched Pirate Wire Services two and a half years ago to create a space for on-the-ground, reported stories about Latin America that weren’t being covered by the international press, or that merited a new and distinctive angle. 

Since then, we have picked up nearly 2,000 subscribers. We have been the first to cover stories in English, interviewed the Vice President of Colombia, brought you the exclusive stories no one else has, and had pieces published in books. But until now, we had never met in person.

So, for the first time, this Ship’s Log is coming to you from a news-galley that is both online and physical. 

International journalism is in many ways an unusual profession. Most of us will spend long periods of time freelancing, especially as large media companies shrink and cut back their spending on expensive fieldwork. That means we find ourselves working on our own, seeking out like-minded colleagues who provide peer support and burning shoe leather tracking down the untold stories that lie in the corners and shadows of our respective beats.

In the absence of an office, these encounters can happen anywhere and everywhere. Josh and Amy got talking on Twitter about the secondary trauma of human rights reporting. Dani and Josh met in clouds of teargas amidst riots on the streets of Bogotá during Colombia’s general strike in 2021. Amy and Paulo met in the hallways of the University of Buenos Aires, after establishing they were both metalheads, both journalists, both international students, and both utterly lost.

For foreign reporters, there is also the matter of how we end up in the countries we cover — and why. Aspiring correspondents — those privileged with a powerful passport and the means to move, at least — often ask where to start. Established correspondents will tell them to pick a country they find fascinating, go there, and figure the rest out once they’re on the ground. Other top tips include thinking about how issues in that country fit into the conversation on the world stage. And bonus points if there’s a controversial election coming up.

In Joshua’s experience, having a death wish and being willing to go where other journalists will often help get a pitch accepted as well. But that’s a career tip that lacks longevity.

Sometimes we are journalists who write about our home (or adopted home) countries for international audiences. Other times we write for domestic audiences in the countries we live in and love. 

But both groups typically find themselves frustrated with representation of their country — native or adopted — in the international press. It is, perhaps, understandable that in an infinite and disorienting world, readers cling onto overarching themes and familiar tropes to make sense of events. But headlines likening Argentina and the IMF to tango partners, asking for the umpteenth time what should be done about Escobar’s “cocaine hippos”, or stories presenting Mexico as little more than narco-culture reinforce stereotypes. They encourage humans to believe that far-flung countries are less complex than their own and that their peoples suffer, dream, and create less.

That is why we need spaces to break away from the clichées and tell stories that are surprising, challenging, difficult, deep, and thought-provoking. Stories that celebrate and uplift culture the international mainstream ignores. Stories that reframe problems, challenge narratives, and develop fresh voices.

That’s exactly what we try to do at Pirate Wire Services.

Last night, Josh hove into the galley with a backpack full of vegetables and herbs. Amy diced onions and fresh squashes. Dani, curled up in a chair, edited images and videos. We ate and drank and listened to Colombian and Argentine music together, and danced as we did the dishes. It was the power of storytelling that brought us all together. 

Just as the ancient art of storytelling has brought humans together for thousands of years. 

It’s not an easy time to work as a journalist. Layoffs, budget freezes and rate cuts are around every corner, and as our words shrink, so does our world.

But here at Pirate Wire Services, we’re still sailing. And that counts for a lot. In fact, for us, it may be all that really matters. Thank you for being the wind in our tattered sails. 

The Big Headlines in LATAM

Kenyan President William Ruto, in an exclusive with BBC, announced that Kenyan Police, part of an international peacekeeping force, could deploy to Haiti in as few as three weeks. As we’ve covered here at PWS, Haiti has a new transitional (and unelected) government. According to their statements, “restoring order” in the capital is a top priority. Kenyan forces will make up the majority of a U.N-led peacekeeping force in Haiti.

Gangs have taken over much of Haiti, bringing violence and destruction to its besieged capitol, Port-au-Prince in the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021

Argentine President Javier Milei has found himself embroiled in an ongoing scandal with Spain after he insulted the wife of left-wing prime minister Pedro Sánchez, calling her “corrupt” during a meeting with far-right Spanish party VOX. 

As the row escalated, Spain withdrew its ambassadors to Argentina and has threatened a permanent diplomatic rupture if Milei does not apologize publicly.

A few weeks ago we wrote about the Colombian offensive by security forces against FARC-dissident group EMC. This week EMC struck back at Colombian forces in a series of coordinated attacks that included direct assaults on a police station. Firefights and attacks by EMC have left dozens dead. This is one of those stories we mentioned above that isn’t being covered by international media, but it represents a sharp escalation in the Colombian conflict. Elizabeth Dickinson breaks down the details in this fascinating Twitter thread. 

Spanish Word of the Week

Merecumbé

You’ve probably heard of Merengue and Cumbia, but have you heard of Merecumbé?

Merecumbé is a Colombian musical style created by Francisco "Pacho" Galán that combines cumbia and Colombian merengue. The term is a contraction of the words merengue and cumbia. The rhythmic pattern was created by percussionist Pompilio Rodríguez.

Wanna hear one of the most iconic songs from the genre? We got you covered

Hasta pronto, piratas!