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Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
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Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

South America Correspondent

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is an NPR international correspondent covering South America for NPR. She is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Previously, she served a NPR's correspondent based in Israel, reporting on stories happening throughout the Middle East. She was one of the first reporters to enter Libya after the 2011 Arab Spring uprising began and spent months painting a deep and vivid portrait of a country at war. Often at great personal risk, Garcia-Navarro captured history in the making with stunning insight, courage and humanity.

For her work covering the Arab Spring, Garcia-Navarro was awarded a 2011 George Foster Peabody Award, a Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club, and an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Alliance for Women and the Media's Gracie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

Before her assignment to Jerusalem began in 2009, Garcia-Navarro served for more than a year as NPR News' Baghdad Bureau Chief and before that three years as NPR's foreign correspondent in Mexico City, reporting from that region as well as on special assignments abroad.

Garcia-Navarro got her start in journalism as a freelancer with the BBC World Service and Voice of America, reporting from Cuba, Syria, Panama and Europe. She later became a producer for Associated Press Television News before transitioning to AP Radio. While there, Garcia-Navarro covered post-Sept. 11 events in Afghanistan and developments in Jerusalem. In 2002, she began a two-year reporting stint based in Iraq.

In addition to the Murrow award, Garcia-Navarro was honored with the 2006 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for a two-part series "Migrants' Job Search Empties Mexican Community." She contributed to NPR News reporting on Iraq, which was recognized with a 2005 Peabody Award and a 2007 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton.

Garcia-Navarro holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and an Master of Arts degree in journalism from City University in London.

Highlights from Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

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Migrants' Job Search Empties Mexican Community

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Stories By

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
Residents look on as Brazilian military police officers patrol Mare, one of the largest complexes of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 30. In one of the world's most violent countries, homicide rates are dropping — but only for whites.

Residents look on as Brazilian military police officers patrol Mare, one of the largest complexes of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 30. In one of the world's most violent countries, homicide rates are dropping — but only for whites. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Mario Tama/Getty Images

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In Brazil, Race Is A Matter Of Life And Violent Death

In 2012, 56,337 people were murdered in Brazil. But that figure hides a color-coded truth: Homicide rates are actually way down — if you're white. If you're black? Murder rates are up 40 percent.

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Brazil's judicial system faces a massive backlog of cases — and stacks of paperwork. One group of five judges in Sao Paulo is currently handling 1.6 million cases.

Brazil's judicial system faces a massive backlog of cases — and stacks of paperwork. One group of five judges in Sao Paulo is currently handling 1.6 million cases. G Dettmar/National Council of Justice hide caption

itoggle caption G Dettmar/National Council of Justice

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Brazil: The Land Of Many Lawyers And Very Slow Justice

Brazil has more law schools the rest of the world combined and more lawyers per capita than the U.S. But there's a huge legal backlog: One department of five judges is now handling 1.6 million cases.

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Janet Timal, 47 (right), stands with her niece Thairine, 21. Janet has had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation and helped her niece pay for liposuction. "The ideal is to be able to put something on, to sit down and not have your belly jumping out. Here in Brazil it gets hot, and the less clothes, the better," says Janet.

Janet Timal, 47 (right), stands with her niece Thairine, 21. Janet has had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation and helped her niece pay for liposuction. "The ideal is to be able to put something on, to sit down and not have your belly jumping out. Here in Brazil it gets hot, and the less clothes, the better," says Janet. Jimmy Chalk for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Jimmy Chalk for NPR

Parallels

In Brazil, Nips And Tucks Don't Raise An Eyebrow

Brazil has surpassed the U.S. as the world capital of plastic surgery. All this cosmetic enhancement is widely embraced in a country where women flaunt, rather than hide, having work done.

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Challenger Marina Silva (left) and incumbent Dilma Rousseff face off during a presidential debate in Aparecida, Brazil, in September.

Challenger Marina Silva (left) and incumbent Dilma Rousseff face off during a presidential debate in Aparecida, Brazil, in September. Sebastiao Moreira/EPA/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Sebastiao Moreira/EPA/Landov

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Brazil's Election Culminates A Season Filled With Shocks

Brazilians head to the polls Sunday in one of the most exciting elections in recent history there. The presidential race pits two women against each other — a first for the South American country.

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Antonio Cavalcante had a candidate for governor successfully barred after proving he had embezzled millions of dollars while he was a state legislator.

Antonio Cavalcante had a candidate for governor successfully barred after proving he had embezzled millions of dollars while he was a state legislator. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Lourdes Garcia-Navarro/NPR

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How One Chauffeur Took Down A Corrupt Brazilian Politician

Antonio Cavalcante helped get a candidate for governor barred after showing that the politician had embezzled millions of dollars while he was a state legislator.

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Marina Silva, shown here in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, is tied in polls with incumbent President Dilma Rousseff. Silva, the candidate for Brazil's Socialist Party, says if elected next month, she would be "the first social environmentalist president."

Marina Silva, shown here in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, is tied in polls with incumbent President Dilma Rousseff. Silva, the candidate for Brazil's Socialist Party, says if elected next month, she would be "the first social environmentalist president." Silvia Izquierdo/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Silvia Izquierdo/AP

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Could Brazil Have The First 'Green' President Of A Major Economy?

Marina Silva grew up deep in the Amazon and says Brazil must do more to protect its natural riches. But environmentalists have doubts about what she can do, given the powerful agrobusiness interests.

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