Violence Destroying Press Freedom in Mexico: A WAN-IFRA Report
Mexico’s press is rapidly losing its freedom and the government
must take urgent action to guarantee the safety of journalists and media
professionals, so says a report published today by the World
Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Entitled “A Death Threat to Freedom: A Report on Violence Against
Mexico’s Press,” (available to download below) the report identifies the
unprecedented level of violence faced by the Mexican press as a result
of corruption, organised crime and the ongoing armed offensive against
drug traffickers. 39 media professionals
have been killed since the
outgoing president, Felipe Calderón, declared a ‘war’ on drugs in 2006.
“Mexico is facing a crisis of historic proportions and its press is
firmly in the front line,” said Larry Kilman, WAN-IFRA Deputy CEO and
Director of Communications and Public Affairs. “Targeting journalists as
a means of controlling news output undermines democracy and violates
freedom of expression. The incoming Mexican government must do more to
ensure its press is free and its journalists are safe to report the
news.”
The report examines how the drug cartels aim to control the flow of
information through terror, assassination, armed attacks on journalists
and media outlets, threats and kidnappings. Such tactics have been
brutally effective: entire regions in Mexico are experiencing a complete
information blackout, with exile or self-censorship often the only ways
journalists have of protecting themselves.
The report details:
- The unprecedented increase in violence against the media since 2006, its impact on the profession of journalism, and how the media is reacting to the challenges posed;
- How violence is used to control territory and the flow of information within it;
- The ineffective and inadequate response of authorities at federal, state and municipal levels;
- Evidence of state-sanctioned violence against journalists; and
- How a legacy of authoritarianism, corruption and a lack of transparency from previous governments has a negative impact on the role of the media in Mexican society, and how the current wave of violence is aggravating it.
The cartels are engaged in a war against the authorities, but also
between themselves as they vie for control over vacant drug trafficking
routes. The cartels also manage crime rings involving extortion,
kidnapping, prostitution, sexual slavery, people and organ trafficking.
According to press reports, this conflict has resulted in the deaths of
almost 50,000 people, many of them civilians.
The Mexican authorities are themselves implicated in the violence,
with corruption and impunity having spread to every level of government.
“The press is increasingly unable to fulfil its role and has been left
woefully unprotected in what is one of the world’s most dangerous
environments for journalists,” said Rodrigo Bonilla, WAN-IFRA Missions
Manager and author of the report. “With the recommendations contained in
this report and our ongoing advocacy work in support of Mexican
journalists, we hope the government will take meaningful steps to
guarantee freedom of expression.”
Yesterday (3 September), during the opening ceremony of the World
Newspaper Congress, the annual meeting point for the world’s press
industry held this year in Kiev, Ukraine, Mexican journalist Anabel
Hernández was presented with the Golden Pen of Freedom, WAN-IFRA's
annual award recognising individuals or organisations that have made an
outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom.
In awarding the prize to Ms. Hernández, WAN-IFRA expressed its
solidarity with all Mexican journalists, who despite constant threats
and horrendous violence remain defiant in holding power to account.
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SEE FULL REPORT BELOW
For more information about WAN-IFRA’s global press freedom work, including its engagements in Mexico, visit http://www.wan-ifra.org/pressfreedom
Larry Kilman, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and Public Affairs, WAN-IFRA, 96 bis rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. E-mail: larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org
Rodrigo Bonilla, Press Freedom Missions Manager, WAN-IFRA, 96 bis rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 37. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 25 87 29 13. E-mail: rodrigo.bonilla@wan-ifra.org.
For more information about the Golden Pen of Freedom award, and to read the speeches from the ceremony in Kiev, visit http://www.wan-ifra.org/node/31099
WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France and Darmstadt, Germany, with
subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the
global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It
represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over
3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is to
defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial
integrity and the development of prosperous businesses
Inquiries to:Larry Kilman, Deputy CEO and Director of Communications and Public Affairs, WAN-IFRA, 96 bis rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. E-mail: larry.kilman@wan-ifra.org
Rodrigo Bonilla, Press Freedom Missions Manager, WAN-IFRA, 96 bis rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 37. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 25 87 29 13. E-mail: rodrigo.bonilla@wan-ifra.org.
