Terrence McCoy

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro Bureau Chief

Education: University of Iowa, BA, political science and journalism; Columbia University, MA, international politics and journalism

Terrence McCoy is The Washington Post's Rio de Janeiro Bureau Chief. He has twice won the George Polk Award and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2023. He served in the Peace Corps in Cambodia. He joined The Washington Post in 2014, and has been a staff writer on the local, national and foreign desks.
Latest from Terrence McCoy

George Santos confesses to theft in Brazil to avoid prosecution

A day earlier, the New York congressman pleaded not guilty to wide-ranging charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York.

May 11, 2023

Bolsonaro’s vaccine status falsified before he entered U.S., police say

Bolsonaro promoted coronavirus skepticism while the country he led suffered one of the world's worst outbreaks. Investigators raided his home Wednesday and arrested several associates.

May 3, 2023

Bolsonaro to answer police questions about Brasília insurrection

The Jan. 8 riot, in which the former president's supporters stormed the capital in hopes of reversing his election loss, has only deepened Brazil's divide.

April 26, 2023

American school shooters inspire teen killers abroad

Brazil, which has suffered 11 attacks in the past eight months, worries that the carnage is only beginning.

April 12, 2023

Bolsonaro arrives home in Brazil — and faces an uncertain future

The former president faces a laundry list of investigations related to his controversial term in office.

March 30, 2023

Bolsonaro’s return poses risks for the former president — and Brazil

The deeply divided country braces for the homecoming of its most polarizing figure.

March 25, 2023

How Bolsonaro’s rhetoric — then his silence — stoked Brazil assault

Brazil's right-wing former president has hinted at, warned of and threatened such an attack for years.

January 8, 2023

As the Amazon rainforest goes dry, a desperate wait for water

Dusty wells. Streams ebbing away. Pristine reserves aflame. Some scientists think the tipping point is already here.

November 18, 2022

My friend was killed deep in the Amazon forest. I went to investigate.

Journalist Dom Phillips was following Indigenous rights activist Bruno Pereira when both men disappeared along a remote river.

October 12, 2022

Takeaways from The Post’s investigation of deforestation in the Amazon

The ongoing and lawless destruction of the Amazon rainforest, a unique resource seen as vital to averting catastrophic global warming, is an environmental emergency.

October 12, 2022