What’s risky? In Mexico’s twin cities, journalists don’t know
The Durango state governor was on his way to meet with reporters. Before he arrived, the reporters huddled to decide the question of the moment. It seemed obvious: Why had a former mayor been arrested the day before in what clearly seemed to be a political move? “That was the only question,” a reporter said…
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, April 2013
A legislative milestone in Mexico In what CPJ called “a step forward in the fight against impunity,” Mexico approved legislation that would implement a constitutional amendment giving federal authorities broader jurisdiction to prosecute crimes against freedom of expression. The legislation, passed on April 25, will implement a constitutional amendment approved by the Mexican federal congress in 2012. The measure…
In Mexico, a movement and a bill against impunity
Who can say exactly when the work of press freedom groups, human rights defenders, and budding networks of Mexican journalists became a movement? It would have been many murders, many funerals, many orphans ago. It would have been countless news events–about crime, corruption, violence–that went uncovered because reporters and news organizations concluded that the only…
Journalist missing in Veracruz for 3 months
Mexico City, April 22, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mexican authorities to fully investigate the disappearance of journalist Sergio Landa Rosado in the state of Veracruz. Landa, who covers the crime beat for the local daily Diario Cardel, has been missing since January, according to news reports.
CPJ alarmed by threats against Article 19 in Mexico
New York, April 22, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a death threat sent to the Mexico office of the international freedom of expression organization Article 19. “Mexican authorities must launch an exhaustive investigation into this threat and bring those responsible to justice,” said CPJ Senior Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría. “The authorities…
Journalist threatened after reporting on Veracruz murder
Mexico City, April 17, 2013–The national Mexican magazine Proceso reported Tuesday that it has learned of a plot by officials in the government of Veracruz to harm journalist Jorge Carrasco, who has reported extensively on the murder of the magazine’s correspondent in that state. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to fully investigate…
Attacks on Knight Center sites reflect digital dangers
The two websites at the University of Texas at Austin, at first blush, seemed to have been unlikely targets for attack. The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and its blog cover news about journalism, press freedom and journalist safety throughout the Western hemisphere, with an emphasis on trends in Latin America. The website…
Arrests in Torreón press crimes; will it make difference?
Twenty-one people have been arrested for a wave of crimes that included 11 murders (six of which were committed against police officers), the abduction for hours of five employees of El Siglo de Torreón newspaper, the murder of a mayoral candidate, and attempted murder of a current mayor in a large metropolitan area in central…