José Rubén Zamora
| José Rubén Zamora | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 19, 1956 (age 60) |
| Nationality | Guatemalan |
| Occupation | journalist |
| Organization |
Siglo Veintiuno (1990-96) El Periódico (1996-present) |
| Awards |
International Press Freedom Award (1995) Maria Moors Cabot Prize (1995) World Press Freedom Hero (2000) Knight International Journalism Award (2003) |
José Rubén Zamora Marroquín (born August 19, 1956) is an industrial engineer, entrepreneur, and the founder of three Guatemalan newspapers: Siglo Veintiuno ("21st Century") in 1990, and El Periódico ("The Newspaper") in 1996, and Nuestro Diario ("Our Daily") in 1998. He has been threatened and attacked on several occasions for his work, including being held hostage in his home in 2003 and being kidnapped and beaten in 2008.
Zamora has received numerous international prizes and distinctions. He was awarded the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University in 1994, he received an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists in 1994, he was named one of 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the 20th century by the International Press Institute in 2000, and in 2003 the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded him its International Journalism Award.
Zamora began working as a reporter in La Hora ("The Hour"), a newspaper owned by his family, when he was 17. He earned degrees in industrial engineering and business administration, and in 1986, founded ANC, a documentary and news production company in 1986.
In 1990, Zamora founded his first newspaper, Siglo Veintiuno. The paper advocated judicial and tax reforms, and reported on dangerous subjects including narcotics smuggling, human rights issues, guerrilla groups, and corruption in the government of President Jorge Serrano. As a result, Zamora and the staff received death threats and were subject to physical attacks.
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