The Dangers of Journalism in Mexico

The Mexican Drug Wars affect more people than the one involved in the rival cartels. Those who dedicate their life to bringing others the news of what is going on around them have been placed in an incredible danger by these drug lords. Assassinations all over Mexico have been increasing ever since the declaration of the "War on Drugs" by the 2006 Mexican president Felipe Calderon. There has been a total of 74 deaths and 13 missing person in the last 12 years. The country has become one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist. Many journalist have given up or lost their career and are now struggling to survive because they cannot find a job. An example of this is Mario Segura who lost his job and now has become a clown in order to win some money and survive. The problem has caught the attention of the government that it has even implemented a new law to financially help journalist who have had to retire or have been fired. However, this law has yet to be enforced.

This is an important event because it does not only affect journalist in Mexico but all over the world. People are afraid to go and report what is going on. Therefore the truth about events can be easily be manipulated by both the government and the drug cartels. Perhaps the public is being falsely alarmed or not fully informed and that creates a sense of ambiguity. This makes it difficult to know the truth and try to fix things.


Works Cited
Rueda, M. (2013, 09 02). El drama de un periodista desplazado por los narcos. Retrieved from http://noticias.univision.com/mexico/noticias/article/2013-09-03/el-drama-de-un-periodista-desplazado-por-los-narcos

Casillas, K. (2013, 09 11). Ser periodista en méxico, una profesión de riesgo. Retrieved from http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=173772