Mexico, lethal for journalists

Vigil in Mexico in honor of Regina Martínez, journalist murdered in Veracruz.Felix Marquez / AP

Mexico is once again the most dangerous country in the world to practice journalism.

2020 is also the deadliest year for the Mexican press in the last decade, a sum of negative records that highlight the urgent need to adopt measures to protect those who are dedicated to reporting, as well as to stop the constant attacks that they receive from the authorities.

The International Federation of Journalists has recorded 13 murders of informants so far this year, putting Mexico at the top of this blacklist for the fourth time in five years.

The data from the Mexican government itself, which does not only record the murders that are directly related to their work as communicators, are even more worrying.

Until the beginning of December, 19 journalists had died, to which must be added the murder of a photojournalist last week.

In addition, the number of attacks on information professionals has been beaten, with 224, almost double than five years ago, when there were 124.

The growing violence against the press cannot be separated in many cases from the climate of insecurity generated by drug trafficking and the war against this scourge, which in 15 years has left hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Journalists, far from being a collateral victim, are a primary target of the violence: in the crimes there is a clear intention to put an end to the work of those who report, as the investigation by EL PAÍS together with a score of international media has shown. As a result of the murder of Regina Martínez, in Veracruz, which opened the way, in a way, to silence this profession in Mexico.

Martínez's case is illustrative and shows the connection between organized crime and certain political actors who are bothered by the work of journalists.

It also highlights once again that impunity in Mexico, where more than 90% of crimes go unpunished, is an incentive for murderers.

Investigations of cases such as those of the murders of Miroslava Breach or Javier Valdez have made progress, although the intellectual authors remain free, while journalists such as Lydia Cacho were forced to leave the country after having denounced attacks and torture.

The Government of Mexico has recognized that in recent years there has been a significant upswing in violence.

While it is important that the problem be recognized and diagnosed, just lamenting and condemning these murders and assaults is not enough.

And less when the power is attacking non-related media on a daily basis.

A democracy worth its salt cannot tolerate the levels of violence against journalists in Mexico.