Journalist Vanessa Robles, victim of three robberies in six months while covering street coverage, says being a victim of crime brings her closer to people: I don’t want to stop covering the streets

Then Vanessa Robles, a Guayaquil journalist from Teleamazon She was 29 years old and about to graduate in Social Communication from Salesian Polytechnic University. She knew she needed media experience to build her career. He printed copies of his resume and embarked on a “work via crucis”: distributing his documents in a range of print, television and radio media.

He asked a security guard at a now-defunct television channel if they were taking on interns. “This is with a godfather, you know that whoever has a godfather is baptized, but give me your resume, something has to be done,” the worker replied. The young student looked up at the sky and thought, “My God, I don’t have a godfather, I only have you.”

She is now a reporter Teleamazon, a channel where he has worked since 2021. He is passionate about listening and feeling the problems of the people he meets in his street coverage. It gives her satisfaction, she says, when authorities help solve people’s problems in response to her reporting.

However, her job has exposed her to almost constant danger for the past 6 months. They tried to rob him twice, and succeeded the third time. The first time she and her journalistic team almost fell victim to a crime was in September 2022, while reporting live on the bridge of the Monumental stadium.

Television journalism team suffered an attempted robbery while covering Durán

Two individuals on a motorcycle approached her and tried to take their equipment and belongings from them, but the journalist quickly responded: “We’re live, are you going to rob us live now?” Robles said. The attackers tried to cover their faces and left. He was trying to “make the guy think, feel ashamed,” he recalls.

This comment went viral on social networks, which were filled with memes admiration for the actions of the professional. His reaction to stressful or dangerous situations, he confesses, is usually calm and measured. However, his personality in everyday life contrasts with that.

“I consider myself a very outgoing, spontaneous person, impulsive in some cases, but when there are crisis situations, when the adrenaline kicks up to 100, I have pretty calm reactions,” he says. “I’ve had periods of crisis or risk where I realized my reaction is the opposite of what I am on a daily basis.”

Unfortunately, since the first time they tried to rob her, they have tried to rob her two more times while she was at work. The second time was in Durán and the third time in Guayaquil. The third time was the charm, and on that occasion they managed to steal her and her team.

Despite the increasing danger of his work, Robles says living up to the experiences of the “common citizen” adds another dimension to his reporting, bringing it closer to the people. In addition, she always has the symbolic protection of her mother, who blesses her through the screen when she sees her live on broadcasts.

In Petrillo, another journalistic team of Teleamazonas was attacked today

She is also passionate about journalism, although her “frustrated” dream is to become an actress. She studied theater for four years during her college days and learned that helped her modulate her voice and master her non-verbal language correctly, useful tools for the camera.

“Everything I’ve been through has led me here. Journalism is my calling, I want to do journalism all my life. I know the risks, but I don’t want to stop covering the streets or listening to the stories of people who see us as a solution to their problems,” says Robles, who is doing a master’s degree in digital journalism at the university. Big house.