National Press Club Honors Guatemalan Journalist José Rubén Zamora with John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club is honoring José Rubén Zamora — founder of Guatemalan investigative outlet el Periódico and one of Central America's most consequential journalists — with its highest press freedom honor, the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award, for his extraordinary courage in the face of a years-long campaign of state persecution designed to silence his reporting.

Zamora built el Periódico into one of Guatemala's most fearless and independent news outlets, leading investigations into corruption at the highest levels of the country's government. These investigations have resulted in significant state harassment. In 2022, Guatemalan authorities arbitrarily arrested him. In 2023, he was charged and imprisoned on money laundering charges that were internationally condemned as politically motivated. Zamora has repeatedly been moved between jail and house arrest — where he remains today.

The legal proceedings against Zamora have been marked by persistent due process violations and deliberate delay. His legal team has also been targeted: in 2023, arrest warrants were issued for three of his lawyers. That same year, el Periódico was forced to shut down under intense legal and political pressure from the Guatemalan government, and many of its reporters and editors have since fled into exile.

Their absence has consequences. The Guatemalan public has lost one of its most important checks on the powerful — many of whom face credible allegations of corruption, human rights abuses, and connections to narcotrafficking gangs.

"I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my colleagues at el Periódico and independent journalists across our region. Our duty is to expose corruption, challenge abuses of power and tell the truth, even in the face of persecution. Your solidarity strengthens my resolve to defend a free and independent press," said José Rubén Zamora.

The journalist's son, José Carlos Zamora, who will accept the award at the National Press Club on his father's behalf added, "Persecuting my father is meant to silence him and intimidate every journalist who holds power to account. When a journalist is imprisoned or a newsroom is forced to close, society loses part of its right to know. This award sends a powerful message of solidarity: journalism is not a crime, and defending press freedom is everyone's responsibility." 

The National Press Club Board agreed to recognize Zamora for his refusal to be silenced — and for what his case represents beyond Guatemala's borders. Press freedom across Central and Latin America is under dire and growing threat, with state institutions increasingly weaponized against journalists who hold power to account. Zamora's courage makes him a powerful symbol of that struggle, and his legal battles will help determine whether independent investigative journalism in Guatemala can survive without the threat of state retaliation.

Today, Zamora and his legal team continue to fight the charges against him. Advocates around the world are calling for his full and unconditional freedom. The National Press Club stands with them.

"José Rubén Zamora built one of Central America's most fearless independent newsrooms, and he has paid for it with his freedom. His case is a stark reminder that press freedom is not an abstract issue. It is personal; it is costly; and it remains timely, demanding our attention, advocacy, and collective defense," said Mark Schoeff Jr., president of the National Press Club.

The National Press Club will present the 2026 John Aubuchon Press Freedom Awards — alongside the Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism — at its annual Fourth Estate Award Gala on November 12 in Washington, D.C. Tickets and sponsorship information for the event can be found here.

The John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award is named for a former National Press Club president who fervently advocated for press freedom. Each year, the Club's Board of Governors selects both a domestic and an international honoree. The gala dinner is a fundraiser for the National Press Club Journalism Institute, the Club's nonprofit affiliate, which provides training to equip journalists with the skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

About The National Press Club

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists and a leading voice for press freedom in the U.S. and worldwide.

Contact: Dan Griffin, Communications Director of the National Press Club, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club