Reporters Without Borders warns of journalist violence in Mexico

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has characterized the violence against the press in Mexico as “one of the tragedies of the 21st century.” According to an RSF report, at least 169 journalists have been murdered in the country since 2006, with 18 killings recorded during the first two years of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s administration.

The organization highlighted a critical lack of progress regarding the 22 press freedom commitments made by Sheinbaum during her 2024 campaign. Only six of these commitments show any degree of progress, and only one received a positive assessment. RSF noted that 99.4% of the crimes committed against journalists since 2006 remain uninvestigated or lack full clarification regarding the intellectual authors.

Key regions for these attacks include Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chihuahua, and Tamaulipas. RSF also raised concerns regarding the disappearance of 23 journalists and the institutional weakening of specialized prosecutors tasked with protecting freedom of expression.