International Mission to Mexico Evaluates Security, Risks Journalists Face Tania Lara - Knight Center
go to original February 18, 2013

Two international journalism organizations visited Mexico to evaluate the government's measures to protect journalists and the media's own safety strategies when reporting in the country's most dangerous regions, according to a statement from the International Press Institute and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-INFRA).

The WAN-IFRA delegation included Roger Parkinson, a former president of the organization and IPI member; Larry Kilman, deputy CEO of WAN-INFRA; and Rodrigo Bonilla, press freedom missions manager. IPI members were Barbara Trionfi, press freedom manager, and Scott Griffen, IPI's press freedom advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean. Delegates met with federal and state officials, journalists, diplomatis and civil society organizations in Mexico City between Feb. 10 and 13.

Roger Parkinson said that the Mexican government has taken important steps to reform the Constitution to allow federal authorities to investigate crimes against the media and establish protective mechanisms for journalists. "But real progress will only be when killers are put behind bars," he said during his stay.

The delegation met with Deputy Secretary of Media Standards Eduardo Sánchez Hernández and the special prosecutor for crimes committed against freedom of expression, Laura Borbolla, who assured them that the new administration would double its efforts to prevent and investigate attacks on the media and journalists. In the coming weeks, both organizations will publish a report on their findings from the mission.

According to the two organizations, a total of 55 journalists were killed in Mexico since 2006 for reasons related their profession, as well as multiple attacks on media offices.

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