Crime, Violence, and Corruption
Are Destroying the Country’s Journalism
The drug traffickers, violent criminals, and corrupt officials who threaten Mexico’s future have killed, terrorized, and co-opted journalists, knowing that controlling the flow of information will further their needs. They have been increasingly successful, and the results have been devastating. A CPJ special report by Carlos Lauría and Mike O’Connor
Published September 8, 2010 * Download the full report as a PDF
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Summary
More than 30 journalists and media workers have been murdered or have vanished since December 2006. As vast self-censorship takes hold, Mexico’s future as a free and democratic society is at risk.
SIDEBAR: An Era of Promises and Fear
Crime reporter Bladimir Antuna García knew all the cops and crooks in Durango. When he received death threats, state investigators ignored them. When he was murdered, they ignored that as well.
SIDEBAR: Why I Went Into Exile
4. Cartel City
In Reynosa, the Gulf criminal group controls the government, the police, even the street vendors. But you won’t see that story in the local press. The cartel controls the news media, too.
SIDEBAR: How Colombian Media Met Dangerous Times
In its offensive against criminal organizations, the federal government has left a crucial front unaddressed. At-tacks on the constitutional right to free expression must be fought at the national level.
SIDEBAR: In Tijuana, An Unlikely Anniversary
SIDEBAR: What They Said
Appendix I: Journalists Murdered
Capsule reports on journalists and media workers murdered during the tenure of President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.
Appendix II: Journalists Missing
Capsule reports on journalists who have gone missing during the tenure of President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.
Appendix III: CPJ Impunity Index
The world’s worst countries in fighting violence against the press.
The story of exiled reporter Luis Horacio Nájera (In Spanish with English subtitles)
Photo: Protesters call for justice in the murder of Acapulco reporter Amado Ramírez Dillanes. (AFP/Cecilia del Olmo)