A new joint report by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Amnesty International found that Mexico’s Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists failed to adequately evaluate risks journalists are facing, implements at times ineffective protective measures and lacks specialized knowledge of challenges to press freedom in Mexico.
For the report, the culmination of more than a year of research, CPJ and Amnesty international surveyed dozens of reporters who have been enrolled in the protection program, conducted in-depth interviews with journalists, and used freedom of information requests to gather government data on the program.
The report calls on the Mexican government to strengthen its policies aimed at protecting journalists and provides recommendations to, among other things, improve risk evaluations, work to gain more knowledge of regional dynamics that challenge press freedom and review its relationship with investigative bodies.