Photo: Pixabay

By KELIN DILLON

Though Jan. 4 was National Journalist’s Day in Mexico, there was very little to celebrate for most reporters.

At least eight journalists were killed in Mexico during 2020, according to Reporters Without Borders, making it the most deadly country in the world for news reporters.

Mexico’s high number of journalist fatalities was followed in number by Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, which had six, five, four and four reporters killed within their borders last year, respectively.

Journalists in Mexico routinely face attacks, threats, and harassment for their reports, with little to no protection for their lives.

Journalists in Mexico routinely face attacks, threats and harassment for their reports, with little to no protection for their lives.

In the two years Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has been in office, a total of 19 journalists have been murdered, said Reporters Without Borders.

Not a single one of these murders has been solved yet, nor has anyone been punished for the crimes.

“We have not seen any progress in the promise of a change of course regarding the protection of journalism and the prosecution of crimes against journalists. On the contrary, impunity is still the law,” said Reporters Without Borders,

Critics have pointed out that AMLO is quick to publicly condemn journalists who go against him during his daily press conferences, adding yet another layer of danger for those in the journalism field, while doing nothing to investigate the murders of reporters that have taken place during his administration. 

AMLO’s government removed all funding for the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists when creating Mexico’s spending budget for 2021, further thrusting journalists into harm’s way.

AMLO’s government removed all funding for the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists when creating Mexico’s spending budget for 2021, further thrusting journalists into harm’s way. 

The mechanism previously supplied security measures like bodyguards, bulletproof vests and security cameras to journalists deemed at-risk.

Now, with no government support, these safety resources are no longer accessible to those who need them most.

Now, with less protections than the year before, Mexico has even more potential to top the list of journalist fatalities once again when 2021 comes to a close.

…Jan. 6, 2020