Bogota, Colombia – Noticias Caracol, one of Colombia’s largest media outlets, issued a statement on March 20 regarding the investigation into two of its leading journalists, Ricardo Orrego and Jorge Alfredo Vargas, following allegations of sexual abuse against some female colleagues.
These claims shocked the media industry, in part because of the reputations the couple had built over their careers.
For decades, Orrego has been the voice of Colombian sports, leading coverage of several World Cups and other international sporting competitions, while Vargas has been the charismatic anchor of Caracol’s prime-time news show for more than two decades.
A few days after announcing the investigation, the network sent a follow-up message. Both men were removed from their positions despite denying the allegations. Shortly after, Orrego issued a statement from his attorney for Vargas also released a statement saying he was resigning from Caracol, saying he had maintained “respect” and “good behavior” while working as a journalist.
The firing was a pivotal moment for Columbia’s newsroom and inspired dozens of female journalists to come forward and share their own experiences of sexual harassment. The hashtags #YoTeCreoColega and #MeTooColombia sparked a huge wave of solidarity and exposed a deep-rooted culture of harassment and abuse.
Fear: Why Share Open Secrets
Before social media transformed the news landscape, the men and women reporting the news on Colombian TV screens became trusted icons for aspiring journalists, myself included.
As their star power increased, it became more difficult to question them.
Yolanda Ruiz, a longtime Colombian journalist, wrote columns for Spanish newspapers. nation He said the industry “prioritized the evaluation of stars over the dignity of female journalists” and created “a throne of impunity that is finally starting to fall.”
“It’s no surprise that the ‘open secret’ finally exploded,” she wrote.
Harassment is not limited to the television industry. According to a 2020 study Democracy Observatory Andes UniversityIn a survey conducted on 158 female reporters, 6 out of 10 participants answered that they were victims of sexual violence in the workplace, and a whopping 77.9% responded that they were aware of this type of abuse against female reporters.
Several journalists (in this case, regardless of gender) have also claimed to be victims of workplace harassment, not only from superiors and powerful figures, but also from colleagues.
In addition to situations of sexual harassment in the workplace, Colombian journalists face low wages and severe labor instability. According to one study Rosario UniversityA survey of 277 journalists found that almost half of the participants (137) said they would leave their profession and move into another field if given the opportunity.
This exposes a toxic environment where threats are normalized at all levels of the newsroom, creating a cross-cutting pattern of abuse that silences those trying to advance their careers or maintain their current position within the industry.
Same pattern, different workplace
Following allegations of harassment by Caracol journalists, Colombian journalists Paula Bolívar, Juanita Gómez, Mónica Rodríguez, Laura Palomino and Catalina Botero started the #MeTooColombia movement.
They were inspired by the #MeToo hashtag that emerged in the United States following revelations of sexual abuse by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017.
The group of journalists has also established a dedicated communication channel (email protected) where victims can share their stories of abuse within the newsroom. The response was overwhelming. In just one week, they received at least 200 emails containing testimonies from 1993 to 2025.
As for Juanita Gómez and Catalina Botero, both are renowned journalists who previously worked at Noticias Caracol and currently work for the weekly news magazine. main It started with RTVC, the national radio station, and each sharing their experience on social media.
Through his account on X, Gómez detailed the aggression he experienced from the famous anchor while on an international assignment in 2015.
“I would tell her that having to repeatedly push a journalist/presenter away from kissing her in an elevator is not normal and should never have happened,” Gómez wrote.
“I would also tell her to talk to her female colleagues. I hope there are many of them, because they have far worse stories. Together, they will find a way to report harassment.”
This gave courage to other women working at TV channel RCN and newspapers. audienceOthers share their experiences in Colombian media.
A few questions began to arise. If this is a systematic pattern across the entire media industry, why has only one outlet spoken out publicly? And more importantly, why is this calculation only happening now?
The fact that Noticias Caracol director Juan Roberto Vargas publicly described the situation inside the media company as “painful” and “sad” is an important first step for directors of other major media companies to follow.
His promise to take “decisive action” set a precedent in an industry where silence has long been the standard response to internal abuse.
The End of an Era: Breaking the Cycle of Impunity
Eight years ago, Lina Castillo publicly accused Hollman Morris, now the director of public radio broadcaster RTVC, of sexual harassment and workplace harassment.
But the journalist’s public argument turned against her after Morris filed a defamation complaint, claiming her accusations were damaging her reputation.
Powered by the #YoTeCreoColega movement, a group of more than 40 women, including journalists, lawyers and authors, came together to sign an open letter questioning the case against Castillo and condemning Morris’ legal action. They claim his goal is not to seek justice but to “silence the women who report him.”
Last March, following pressure from social groups, the case was transferred to the High Court to ensure ‘gender analysis’.
Additionally, award-winning journalist Jineth Bedoya, who became a symbol of the fight against gender-based violence after being kidnapped, tortured and raped at the hands of right-wing paramilitaries in 2000, recently raised the issue of harassment in newsrooms with lawmakers.
On March 25, Bedoya testified before Congress, urging lawmakers to end the “agreement of silence” that has protected newsroom predators for decades.
“A group of women journalists are here today to remind us that for decades women in the media have had to bear the burden of gender-based violence,” she said. “There can be no more pacts of silence in newsrooms. Today is not the time to remain silent.”
The #MeTooColombia movement is also seeking legal redress for victims. The Attorney General’s Office has reported more than 50 complaints of sexual harassment and workplace bullying within the media industry, less than a week after initial allegations involving journalists at Noticias Caracol came to light.
Victims were encouraged to report abuse through a special email set up by the Crown Prosecution Service. (email protected).
Tip of the iceberg?
On April 7, the Ministry of Labor published a document detailing the immediate measures imposed against Noticias Caracol. This could potentially be extended to other media companies following inspections of Caracol TV and BLU Radio facilities.
“There are clear indications of possible failures in the company’s workplace sexual harassment prevention, precaution and investigation mechanisms,” the statement said.
The investigation also revealed that one of the defendants, Ricardo Orrego, had received prior warnings in 2023 and 2025. However, there is no documentation identifying the complainants or evidence of a structured disciplinary process.
In response to the warning issued to Orego about the disgraced journalist, the Ministry of Defense ordered a ‘documentary reconstruction process’. The goal is to “identify the original complaint, the department involved, and the reason why a formal disciplinary process was not implemented.”
At the same time, the investigation uncovered 15 new reports of possible sexual harassment. These incidents remained unnoticed, either because victims did not report them or because companies did not process them through appropriate channels.
Caracol’s decision to list is a rare and necessary first step, but the Department of Education’s continued oversight serves as a reminder that this is a public inquiry and a warning to the rest of the industry.
Hear from women
As this report focuses on the culture of silence in the Colombian media, Latin America Report We contacted several victims of bullying directly.
These reporters shared their stories on condition of anonymity to protect their safety and professional careers.
Their testimony provides insight into events that have been hidden for years.
Giving voice to these experiences is essential to breaking the cycle of harassment and silence and prioritizing human experiences over data.
My whole body was paralyzed by the abusive language of the old man who claimed to be the CEO of a famous media company.
He came up to me and my friend when we were young women and spoke in a disgusting tone. ‘Do you want to be part of our team too? Please do not hesitate to contact us.” He spoke to her, his hands continuing to move all over her body and his mouth getting unnervingly close to hers.
When I asked for help with my abusive boss, my HR leader told me, “You should remain silent and not create unnecessary drama… that’s best.” I tried hard to stay calm, but the bully became my shadow.
He would desperately call me at any time and yell and scold me for no reason. My phone has become a source of fear. I stopped sleeping and when I finally got a moment of peace, I couldn’t rest because of anxiety. I would wake up every few minutes, shaking, checking the screen, waiting for the next attack.
As a last resort, I decided to talk to him man-to-man. He looked at me smiling and said: ‘You have to understand here that humiliation is a part of everyday life. Only those of us who live in newsrooms know how to truly value them.’ Then he lowered his voice. ‘Don’t worry. You have a bright future ahead of you. You are on the right track.’
But his ‘mentorship’ was a lie. Just a few minutes later, I overheard him mockingly calling me a ‘cry baby’ to a colleague, unable to do the simplest tasks. I decided to give up. No one has ever heard of it. Worse, they became bystanders to the abuse and chose a different perspective.
Becoming an intern in our newsroom is a dream come true. You see people leading the day, unaware of the power dynamics behind the camera, and you see them on a pedestal.
Bright eyes and a desire to ‘reach the top of the world’ are just a few steps away, but you’re a newcomer to an industry that’s different than you might imagine. Humiliation, screaming, rude comments – all this is part of our daily diet.
You may see everyone nervous, but you may also sense envy among your colleagues. Reporters may push others away, ridicule them, or use derogatory nicknames to defame them. They are always on the lookout for their own failures… It’s like a high school horror movie about bullies.
Suddenly, the first message arrives on your phone. “Your ass is really nice. Can I have a bite?” A colleague who is much older than you has been leading the news for years and has falsely offered to share his professional secrets with you.
you are nobody I’ve just arrived at my first job. What can you actually do? Should I report it to the director? He doesn’t even know who you are yet. You haven’t even had a chance to show your abilities. Even if the messages get progressively worse and you feel more and more repulsed, it’s better to say nothing.
It’s part of ‘character building’, we’ve always heard it.
Featured image: Ricardo Orrego and Jorge Alfredo Vargas
Image credit: David Gonzalez for Latin America Report
