Advocacy Groups in Mexico & Brazil Map Attacks on Journalists to Counteract Threats Teresa Mioli - Journalism in the Americas
go to original December 22, 2014

In Brazil and Mexico, ranked seventh and eleventh by the Committee to Protect Journalists as the countries with the highest levels of impunity in the murder of journalists, two advocacy groups are mapping these attacks in an effort to increase their security.

In recent years, Article 19 Brazil and Periodistas en Riesgo or "Journalists at Risk" of Mexico have created maps that aggregate attacks against journalists in their respective countries. The goal is that journalists and other media workers will be able to use the site to better prepare when covering certain regions of the country.
Periodistas en Riesgo



Map from Periodistas en Riesgo

While the map from Periodistas en Riesgo was first created in 2012, Article 19 Brazil launched its website, seen below, this past November. The only one of its kind, the map allows users to search for violations of freedom of expression by victim (a media worker or human rights defender), type of violation (homicide, attempted murder, death threat, kidnapping, or torture), or by location.
Article 19 Brazil



Map from Article 19 Brazil

In 2011, the Brazilian organization began to monitor violations to freedom of expression in the country, presenting data and analysis in a series of annual reports, according to Thiago Firbida, an officer for the organization’s Protection of Freedom of Expression program. The website generates results on a map of Brazil, placing pins in the location of each violation; victims’ names and the year of the violation are also listed.

For example, between 2012 and 2013, the organization recorded two death threats, one assassination attempt, and two homicides of media workers in the state of Minas Gerais. This included the March 2013 killing of Rodrigo Neto de Faria, a journalist who had been working on stories about potential police involvement in criminal activity. Two men on a motorcycle shot de Faria as he walked towards his car outside a restaurant.

Article 19 Brazil gathers and verifies the data using a three-step process that includes aggregation of original reports; confirmation of details via interviews with victims, civil society members and authorities; and follow-up on possible legal action, according to the site. Currently, all information is from 2012 and 2013, but Firbida said that information from 2014 will be included in the beginning of 2015.

Additionally, the site provides information, resources, and safety guides for journalists and human rights defenders, as well as a forum for journalists, human rights defenders and victims to share experiences and improve security protocols, Firbida said.

The site also accepts anonymous complaints from victims of attacks.

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