writing & journalism - selected Works
From Model to Muddle: Chile’s Sad Slide Into Upheaval (Foreign Policy, 11/23/2019)
An article about the Chilean social crisis at the end of 2019, and its roots in the nation's long festering inequality gap.
Protecting the Ocean (Patagon Journal, 9/1/2017)
Cover story for a special issue of Patagon Journal on the world's oceans for distribution at the IV International Marine Protected Areas (IMPAC4) Congress in La Serena, Chile.
Private Parks on the Rise (Patagon Journal, 1/1/2014)
Cover story for the fifth issue of Patagon Journal about the boom in private land conservation in Chile and Argentina.
Saving Futaleufú: The Big River Under Threat (Patagon Journal, 7/15/2013)
An investigative cover story co-written with Nancy Moore exposing the environmental and development threats to the Futaleufú River in Chilean Patagonia.
Chilean Wind Farm Faces Turbulence Over Whales (National Geographic News, 11/29/2011)
A news feature examining the negative effects of coastal and offshore wind farms on whales, focusing in particular on the potential threat to key habitat for the endangered blue whale off Chiloe Island in southern Chile.
Chile's Explosion of Protest (The Nation, 10/31/2011)
A 1300-word editorial about an outbreak of large-scale protests in Chile since May 2011 over plans for dams in Patagonia and a broken education system.
Lakes Disappearing After Glacial Outburst Floods (Newsweek, 1/1/2011)
A 4-page spread in Newsweek about climate change floods and disappearing mountain glaciers.
Santiago Powerland: Building an Energy Efficient Future for Chile (Global Post, 9/22/2011)
Co-producer, script writer, reporter and narrator for this short video for Global Post about sustainable architecture trends in Chile.
San Jose Mine, Chile: It's a Waiting Game at Makeshift Camps (Global Post, 8/31/2010)
On assignment for Global Post, I filed two stories in three days about the 33 trapped miners in the San Jose Mine in northern Chile. I also shot photos for an extensive photo gallery that accompanied the article. Two weeks later, I helped conceive, organize and do translations for three PBS NewsHour television reports about the issue.
"We Are On Track": Interview with Chile President Sebastian Pinera (Newsweek, 7/15/2010)
An interview with Chile's president about earthquake recovery efforts, the economy, the U.S. and other topics on assignment for Newsweek.
Chile's New President Shifts Priority to Reconstruction From Reform (Toronto Globe and Mail, 3/11/2010)
A news analysis for Canada's largest newspaper on Chile's new president and the challenges he faced upon starting his government.
Quake Survivor: 'I did not support Pinochet, but now we could do with him' (The Independent, 3/3/2010)
After quickly traveling to the earthquake disaster zone immediately after the 8.8 earthquake struck central Chile, I wrote this news feature on the scene, with an especially tight news deadline, on assignment for The Independent (UK). I also filed several other earthquake stories for Global Post, Toronto Globe and Mail, and Miami Herald.
Fifty Years Later, Another Massive Temblor (Toronto Globe and Mail, 2/28/2010)
A report from Valdivia, Chile, filed the same day the massive, 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, including bits of history about the world's most powerful earthquake that hit this same city in 1960 based on earlier reporting I did for National Geographic en Espanol.
Chile Starts Early (Newsweek, 8/17/2009)
A feature story about early childhood development, with a special focus on Chile's exceptional early education program for children under 4. The story was included in a Global Issues textbook for college students published by McGraw-Hill.
Sitting on the Edge of Disaster (The Independent, 5/29/2009)
A feature story about residents of a town who refused to leave despite the continuing threat of disaster from a nearby volcano.
Generating Conflict (Newsweek, 9/28/2008)
A story about the controversy over the continuing construction of large dams in the developing world with a special focus on Chile's conflict over Patagonian dams.
Fodor's Patagonia (Fodor's, 3/1/2008)
I wrote the introduction and a special section on "Patagonia Today" for the first edition of Fodor's travel guidebook about Patagonia. I also researched and wrote their chapters on the Lake District, Chiloe, and Southern Coast.
The Global Pesticide Pushers in Latin America (NACLA Report on Americas, 1/1/2008)
An investigative report on the illegal pesticide trade in Latin America done with a grant from the Samuel Chavkin Investigative Journalism Fund.
Counterinsurgency: The Great Goat War (Newsweek, 1/14/2007)
A story about a pioneering project that successfully eliminated 120,000 feral goats from the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago, off the coast of Ecuador.
Did We Kick Them Out? Interview with Evo Morales (Newsweek, 1/1/2007)
A q&a article from my interview with Bolivia President Evo Morales done on assignment for Newsweek. I have had exclusive sit-down interviews with seven presidents over the course of my journalism career: four presidents of Bolivia, two presidents of Chile, and one president of Argentina.
A Native Speaker: Evo Morales Shakes Up the Region (Newsweek, 12/12/2005)
A cover story for the Latin American edition of Newsweek on the implications of the controversial indigenous leader Evo Morales's candidacy for president of Bolivia.
Mass Protests in Bolivia Turn Violent (Guardian, 6/8/2005)
One of eight stories I filed for London, England's leading newspaper during the June 2005 crisis in Bolivia in which nationwide protests over gas privatization polices led to nearly a civil war in the country and forced the president to resign.
Survival of Ancient Tree Hinges on Political Will (Miami Herald , 8/5/2004)
An investigative report on the destruction of the endangered alerce tree in Chile, the world's second-oldest tree species.
Chile Struggles with Energy Dilemma (Miami Herald , 7/12/2004)
A news analysis of Chile's energy crisis.
The Search for Good Jobs (Newsweek, 12/22/2003)
A feature story on the informal economy and the unemployment crisis in Latin America.
Investing in Destruction: the Impacts of a WTO Investment Agreement on Extractive Industries in Developing Countries (Oxfam America, June 2003)
A 43-page briefing paper I researched and wrote in less than 3 months time at the request of Oxfam America, an international development NGO based in Washington, D.C. The project required travel to Peru and Bolivia, intense research of existing information on the issues involved, and meshing my journalism skills with critical analysis.
Letter From Chile: Neoliberalism Has Produced an Eco-crisis (The Nation, 12/16/2002)
An article on how free trade and neoliberal economic policies are provoking an eco-crisis in Chile and Latin America.
Enron's Pipe Scheme (CorpWatch, 5/22/2002)
An investigative report into the corruption, human rights and environmental violations involved with the Enron corporation's oil and gas projects in Bolivia. Other articles based on this research were also published in San Francisco Chronicle, Latin Trade, EcoAmericas and Washington Times.
Don't Bray For Me, Argentina: Interview with Carlos Menem (Newsweek, 2/11/2002)
A q&a interview with former Argentina President Carlos Menem shortly after his country's economy plunged into deep crisis.
Road Will Finally Reach Chilean Village, Progress - and Conflict - in Unique Town (San Francisco Chronicle, 10/28/2001)
A feature about a small, isolated town in southern Patagonia and how modernization, environmental conflicts and a new road are changing the lifestyle of its longtime residents.
Sad State of Roads a Sign of Bolivia's Rocky Road to Development (Dallas Morning News, 4/7/2000)
The world's most dangerous road and how it symbolizes and is a consequece of Bolivia's foreign debt problems. Also published in Baltimore Sun, Miami Herald and San Francisco Chronicle.
