César Batiz

Batiz is a 2025 ICFJ Knight International Journalism Award winner.

César Batiz is a Venezuelan investigative journalist and media leader whose news organization has pioneered innovative methods to bypass government censorship in one of the world's most restrictive media environments. Amid ongoing efforts to silence him and his media outlet, Batiz and his team have helped define how journalism can operate under authoritarianism by leveraging technology and involving citizens in the reporting process.

Batiz co-founded El Pitazo ("The Whistleblower") in 2014 to deliver critical information and investigations to Venezuela's poorest and most remote communities. Over more than a decade, the independent outlet has employed nearly 500 journalists and become one of the most innovative in the region despite regular threats. Its website has been repeatedly blocked by internet providers and targeted by cyberattacks, while its reporters have faced physical and online attacks, been denied access to public events, and threatened with legal action.

When state-controlled internet providers first blocked El Pitazo, Batiz led the technology team that developed mirror pages so that audiences could continue to access their journalism – a solution that other Venezuelan media later adopted. Batiz and his team, including co-founders Javier Melero and Gustavo Alemán, also developed initiatives like InfoCiudadanos, which has trained over 1,400 citizens to gather and distribute information in their areas. The program gives people the tools to become news sources and contributors, creating a network that has become an integral part of El Pitazo’s news gathering and distribution strategies.

Now operating from exile after numerous threats against him, Batiz continues to lead El Pitazo's unique approaches to journalism, including WhatsApp-based news delivery and discussion forums, performative journalism through theater and music, community workshops with experts. He also co-founded strategic alliances, like the Alianza Rebelde Investiga with outlets Runrunes and TalCual, that pool resources to produce and share news more widely. El Pitazo produces hard-hitting investigations. In collaboration with five other outlets in Venezuela and Mexico, they published "Mujeres en la vitrina" ("Women in the Showcase"), a cross-border investigation into sex trafficking of Venezuelan migrant women that inspired a Netflix miniseries and won the 2019 Gabo Award in Innovation.

Prior to El Pitazo, Batiz worked as an investigative reporter and editor at the media house Cadena Capriles. His investigative work has had significant impact. For example, after his investigation into the Venezuelan state-owned oil company’s purchase of a subsidiary, more than 20 Venezuelans were prosecuted in the United States. 

Under Batiz's leadership, El Pitazo has won multiple prestigious international awards, including the 2019 Ortega y Gasset Award and the Premio Rey de España de Periodismo with an alliance of Venezuelan media.