Journalists Killed in Mexico reported by Mexican reporter

MEXICOMost Dangerous Place in the Americas to Be a Journalist: 24 Killed Over Three-Year Span in Mexico

Twenty-four journalists have been killed and 12 have gone missing in Mexico over the past three years, according to the report by an international coalition of journalism associations. That makes Mexico the most dangerous country in which to do journalism in Latin America and the Caribbean — ahead of Colombia and Brazil, El Universal reported.

In Mexico there prevails "a chilling culture of impunity, which has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of murders," said the report, "Press Freedom: The Shadow of Impunity and Violence," AFP noted.

Of all the registered complaints of assault against freedom of expression in Mexico, only 1% ended in court action. The report cited the main obstacles to the free exercise of journalism in Mexico as "organized crime, which has generated a climate of fear, corruption, impunity, direct attacks on the police force and military." A further obstacle to press freedom is "the lack of political will on the part of the federal and state to resolve these cases of attacks against journalists and to ensure their safety," the AFP added.

An English translation of the report will be available soon at the International Press Institute web site. A summary is available now, here.

By Paul Alonso at 08/21/2008 - 13:29

(Source:Journalism in Americe)