Okke Ornstein in Panama | Dispatches from the isthmus

Okke Ornstein is from the Netherlands where he worked for about 15 years in the wonderful world of television and radio before accidentally moving to Panama. Since then, he has been chased by gangsters and many unsuccessful attempts have been made to shut him up, have him thrown out of the country, or in jail for crimes against the honor. He published The Noriegaville News and Bananama Republic for some years (an award winning combination of investigative journalism, satire, analysis and opinion) until threats were getting out of hand and he closed it down – if the sites weren’t hacked already. His written work in English can be found in publications ranging from The Narco News Bulletin to NewsMax – for the latter he dodged sniper fire and car bombs in Kabul, among other things. None of this has stopped him from briefly becoming a consultant for the election campaign of Miguel Antonio Bernal, a well known human rights activist who runs for mayor of Panama City. Ornstein continues to work as a journalist for publications in and outside of Panama, is writing a book, works as a consultant on media, real estate and sustainable development and runs a new publication called The Isthmian.