Lola Almudevar
Encyclopedia
Lola Almudevar was a British
journalist
and news reporter. She reported for BBC News
.
father and a British mother. She grew up in Nottingham. Almudevar graduated from the University of Leeds
in 1999 with a degree in European Studies
. She wrote for the university newspaper, the Leeds Student, while attending the school.
. She was subsequently awarded the Heinz-Schwarzkopf Foundation's Young European of the Year prize in 1999 for her work in promoting unity among diverse young people
through her journalism
.
She was first hired by the BBC in 2002. She initially worked for BBC Midlands. Almudevar also worked on radio
and television
programs while working at BBC Midlands, including Midlands Today
and Inside Out
. She also created "docu-dramas" for the network before becoming an overseas reporter and correspondent
for the BBC.
According to BBC News, Almudevar won an award for her work on Alexandra Road, a ten part series that followed the lives of residents of a street in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
, which she co-produced with fellow BBC journalist, Brady Haran.
She took a sabbatical leave from the BBC in 2006, when she travelled to several Latin America
n countries, including Bolivia
, Colombia
, Peru
and Argentina
. She produced a number of news pieces while on sabbatical which focused on issues facing the region, including street children
and a campaign to legalize the production of the coca leaf.
near the Bolivian village of Ayo Ayo on 25 November 2007. She was just 29 years old.
Almudevar and other journalists had been traveling to the Bolivian city of Sucre
to cover political unrest in the city due to the approval of a new regional draft constitution
. Flights had been suspended to Sucre so Almudevar had been forced to drive instead.
Almudevar's taxi
reportedly crashed head on into two stopped trucks which had been involved in an earlier accident. Lola Almudevar was killed in the accident, along with two of the truck drivers, as well as Clotilde Fernandez, the wife of Almudevar's taxi driver. Spanish
Reuters
reporter, Eduardo Garcia
, who was traveling with Almudevar to Sucre, was also seriously injured in the accident.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and news reporter. She reported for BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
.
Early life
Almudevar was born in London, England on 28 June 1978, to a SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
father and a British mother. She grew up in Nottingham. Almudevar graduated from the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in 1999 with a degree in European Studies
European studies
European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration....
. She wrote for the university newspaper, the Leeds Student, while attending the school.
Career
Almudevar moved to Brussels, Belgium, following her graduation, where she worked for the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. She was subsequently awarded the Heinz-Schwarzkopf Foundation's Young European of the Year prize in 1999 for her work in promoting unity among diverse young people
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
through her journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
.
She was first hired by the BBC in 2002. She initially worked for BBC Midlands. Almudevar also worked on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programs while working at BBC Midlands, including Midlands Today
Midlands Today
Midlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for the West Midlands region, which covers the north of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands county...
and Inside Out
Inside Out (BBC TV series)
Inside Out is the brand name for a number of regional television programmes in England broadcast on BBC One. Each series, made by a BBC region, focuses on stories from the local area...
. She also created "docu-dramas" for the network before becoming an overseas reporter and correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for the BBC.
According to BBC News, Almudevar won an award for her work on Alexandra Road, a ten part series that followed the lives of residents of a street in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, which she co-produced with fellow BBC journalist, Brady Haran.
She took a sabbatical leave from the BBC in 2006, when she travelled to several Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n countries, including Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. She produced a number of news pieces while on sabbatical which focused on issues facing the region, including street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
and a campaign to legalize the production of the coca leaf.
Death
Lola Almudevar was killed in a car accidentCar accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
near the Bolivian village of Ayo Ayo on 25 November 2007. She was just 29 years old.
Almudevar and other journalists had been traveling to the Bolivian city of Sucre
Sucre
Sucre, also known historically as Charcas, La Plata and Chuquisaca is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the capital of the department of Chuquisaca. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2750m...
to cover political unrest in the city due to the approval of a new regional draft constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. Flights had been suspended to Sucre so Almudevar had been forced to drive instead.
Almudevar's taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
reportedly crashed head on into two stopped trucks which had been involved in an earlier accident. Lola Almudevar was killed in the accident, along with two of the truck drivers, as well as Clotilde Fernandez, the wife of Almudevar's taxi driver. Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reporter, Eduardo Garcia
Eduardo Garcia
Eduardo García is a Mexican trainer in the sport of boxing. García is considered one of the best trainers in the history of Mexican boxing.-Training career:...
, who was traveling with Almudevar to Sucre, was also seriously injured in the accident.