Prominent Chilean journalist, writer, and Columbia Journalism alumna, Lidia Baltra Montaner (1938-2024), passed away on November 9, 2024, at the age of 86. Baltra was a lifelong advocate for press freedom and human rights, leading the Chilean Journalists Association from 1981 to 1994 and later chairing its National Ethics Tribunal from 1997 to 2004. Her commitment to journalism and social justice earned her the 2022 Award for Excellence in Journalism, Memory, and Human Rights from the Museum of Memory and Human Rights and the Chilean Journalists Association.
Baltra’s academic journey began at the Universidad de Chile, where she graduated with a journalism degree in 1959. She continued her studies in New York, earning a Master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School in 1961 with the thesis “The U.S. Looks at the Latin American Regional Market.” She also pursued further studies in film at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC) in Paris from 1965 to 1966.
She began her career at La Voz, a publication of the Santiago Archbishopric, and also worked with Universidad de Chile's Press and Radio Department. Later, she joined Ecran, a magazine specialized in film, where she rose to the position of deputy director, before moving on to similar roles at Rincón Juvenil and Teleguía, ultimately becoming director of Telecran. Additionally, she was the first film and entertainment critic for Televisión Nacional de Chile, the country’s public television network and also contributed to several radio stations. During Chile’s dictatorship, Baltra was blacklisted, which forced her to stay away from mainstream media. During this time, she worked on rural and agricultural communications.
Baltra’s career was marked by her dedication to freedom of expression and the defense of human rights. Her books, including Attacks on Freedom of Information in Chile, 1973-1987 (1988), Madam President: Women Who Govern Countries (2006), The Chilean Press at a Crossroads (2012), Presidents ABC, co-authored with Maura Brescia (2014), and her memoir, From Showbiz to the Trenches (2017), reflect her profound commitment to truth, resilience and the social role of journalism.
