José Antonio García Apac

New York, November 20, 2009—A Mexican reporter who had recently covered corruption and organized crime was reported missing this week in the western state of Michoacán, according to local news reports. María Esther Aguilar Cansimbe, at left, was last seen on November 11 near her home in Zamora. The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on state and federal authorities to do everything in their power to immediately bring her to safety.

In Mexico, seven reporters have vanished in three years. Many had investigated links between public officials and drug traffickers. Are the crime groups changing tactics, or is a new type of perpetrator at work? 

CPJ alarmed by disappearance of reporter in Michoacán

New York, February 15, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the disappearance of Mauricio Estrada Zamora, a crime reporter for the daily La Opinión de Apatzingán in the central Mexican state of Michoacán.

Estrada, 38, was last seen on February 12 at approximately 11 p.m., when he left the newspaper. He left alone and indicated that he was heading to his home in Apatzingán, colleagues told CPJ. On the morning of February 13, local authorities found Estrada’s car in Buena Vista Tomatlán, a municipality near Apatzingán. The policeman who found the car alerted La Opinión de Apatzingán staff after finding Estrada’s press pass in the car windshield. The car was parked, but its engine was running. The doors were open and several items were missing, including a stereo and Estrada’s camera and laptop, La Opinión de Apatzingán staff told CPJ.

CPJ research indicates that the following journalists have disappeared while doing their work. Although some of them are feared dead, no bodies have been found, and they are therefore not classified as "Killed." If a journalist disappeared after being held in government custody, CPJ classifies him or her as "Imprisoned" as a way to hold the government accountable for the journalist's fate.

Drug fueled violence against the press has spread to the central state of Michoacán. At least two journalists' lives have been lost, and self-censorship is taking root.