Mexico
2009
Attacks on the Press in 2008: Mexico
Powerful drug cartels and escalating violence made journalists in Mexico more vulnerable to attack than ever before. The dangerous climate was compounded by a pervasive culture of impunity. Most crimes against the press remained unsolved as Mexican law enforcement agencies, awash in corruption, did not aggressively investigate attacks. With no guarantee of safety, reporters increasingly…
A eulogy for Eloy Aguilar
Former Associated Press World Services Director Claude Erbsen gave a eulogy on Wednesday for former AP Mexico Bureau Chief Eloy Aguilar, left, who died on January 30 at the age of 72. Erbsen said there were about 100 people at the church memorial: “a mixed bag of foreign correspondents ranging from AP to Xinhua, with…
Remembering Eloy Aguilar
Being a foreign correspondent means living between two worlds. You are an outsider, a foreigner. But you are also insider, with unprecedented access to those in power. You become part of the country in which you live, participating in the culture and developing lasting friendships. And yet you are always apart, observing, commenting, translating, and…
Mexican reporter released from U.S. detention center
According to U.S. and Mexican news reports, reporter Emilio Gutiérrez Soto was released on Thursday from a detention center in El Paso, Texas, where he had been held for seven months while awaiting an immigration hearing. Gutiérrez illegally entered the United States in June fearing for his life and that of his son after receiving…
Monterrey attack a reminder of reporting dangers
The aftermath of the January 6 attack on the Televisa studios in Monterrey, a city that until recently was considered one of the safest in Latin America, has generated great interest locally in how the media is protecting itself. As part of the coverage, headlines in the Mexican media this morning said that journalists reporting for the…
Press freedom in the news 1/08/2009
Yesterday’s attack on Mexican TV network Televisa is making headlines in the world press today. The Washington Post has coverage of masked gunman threw a grenade at the TV station, allegedly in retaliation for reporting on drug trafficking. The article quotes CPJ’s Carlos Lauria, who said that the “attack in Monterrey is another example of how…
Masked assailants toss grenade at TV broadcaster
New York, January 7, 2009–Tuesday’s attack on broadcaster Televisa in the Mexican city of Monterrey underlines the need for a federal law that protects freedom of expression, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Legislation that would make violent crimes against journalists a federal offense is pending in the Mexican Congress.
Video: Slain and in combat, dozens die in 2008
CPJ’s Joel Simon, Robert Mahoney, and Nina Ognianova pay tribute to journalists who died in 2008. The toll was highest in Iraq, but conflicts in South Asia and the Caucasus were deadly as well. Impunity in journalist murders in Russia, Philippines, and Mexico were top issues.