Ensuring freedom of speech and information and ending violence against media professionals, must be a priority for the next president of Mexico. What will Claudia Sheinbaum do to guarantee full freedom of press? Her upcoming six-year term represents a unique opportunity to put a stop to violence against journalists.
In the outgoing administration, regardless of ideology or party affiliation, there has been little progress in protecting journalists. This is especially concerning, as over the past 30 years, 156 journalists have been murdered and 31 remain missing as of April 17 this year, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). These figures don’t even include recent cases.
For example, on August 21, Ariel Grajales Rodas, a journalist and editor, was shot inside his home in the Esquipulas neighborhood in the state of Chiapas. That same month, journalist Alejandro Martínez Noguez, who managed a news page on Facebook, was murdered in Celaya, Guanajuato.
In July, journalist Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales, director of the Realidades news portal, was killed. Federico “El Wero” Hans, from the media outlet Art. 7mo. El Observador was attacked in front of his home while getting into his car in Caborca, Sonora. Just 24 hours earlier, César Guzmán from Código Rojo was assaulted in Cancún, Quintana Roo.
In just two months, five journalists were attacked: three were injured and two lost their lives. Such incidents occur every 14 hours in Mexico, according to the Sexennial Report on Freedom of Expression and the Right to Information by the organization Article 19 Mexico and Central America.
“The organization highlights that, during this administration, journalists have been the target of various types of aggression. 880 have faced harassment (25.82% of the country’s total journalists), 682 have received threats (20.01%) and 432 have been victims of the illegitimate use of public power (12.68%). In total, over 58.51% of the media collective have been victims of these practices.”
The report also includes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s daily morning press conferences, known as Mañaneras. It documents 179 attacks replicated across 20 states, with stigmatizing language being used 62 times, including phrases such as “the criminal press,” “hypocrites,” “elite media,” “conservatives,” “frauds,” “two-faced,” and “corrupt.”
This narrative aligns with RSF data showing that political leaders in the Americas increasingly stigmatize journalists and the media in their speeches. Combined with disinformation campaigns, abusive legal actions and state propaganda, this fosters distrust in the press and deepens polarization.
In this context, everyone loses. Society loses its right to be informed and to have access to plural and independent media, free from state influence. Journalism loses its ability to fulfill its role of seeking, verifying and communicating the truth. And democracy suffers from a weakened public sphere where debate and deliberation are stifled. This raises a crucial question: will addressing violence against journalists be a priority for Claudia Sheinbaum?
Autor
PhD in Communication Research from the Anáhuac University, Mexico. Professor at the Universidad Anáhuac and the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City.
