Doing journalism in times of trouble. the case of Mexico

Doing journalism in times of trouble. War on drugs and freedom of speech in Mexico
By María Elena Meneses
Researchassistant: Talía Murillo
March 11th 2010
Tecnológico de Monterrey and University of North Carolina and Chapell Hill academicmeeting

Mexico: a dangerous place for journalists
Mexico is the second most dangerous country for exercising journalism
after Iraq.
International News
Safety Institute, 2009
Christoph Bangert

Mexico: a dangerous place for journalists
Tele Atlas, Transnavicom, Europa Technologies, 2010

Drug Trafficking: A Global issue
Producers
Consumers
International distribution networks

InternationalDistributionNetworks
Heroin
Cocaine
European Parliament
WWW.EUROPARL.EUROPA.EU
Marijuana
Hashish

Drug Trafficking: A Global issue
Mexico has fundamentally been a producer and distributor country through the known cartels and criminal organizations.
Poppy flower in Guerrero La Jornada, March 2010

North America
The UN estimates that around 200 000 people a year consume drugs at least once a year.
North America consumes the 75% of drugs.
David Høgsholt
UN and Organization of American States (OAS), 2009

A great business

A great business
Worldwide: 320 billion dollars.
Mexico: drug trafficking is worth 19 billion dollars, occupying half a million people.
United Nations, 2009

A great business
Drug trafficking
employed 25%
more people than
What Mc Donald’s
did worldwide.
Expansión magazine, 2009.

A way to obtain a job
In 60% of the Mexican municipalities there are people employed in organized crime.
Ramón Galindo, Mexican Senator

Mexican war on drugs
Poverty
Lack of opportunities
Corruption
Impunity
Neighborhood with the US
Benjamín Flores, 2001

President Calderon’s war on drugs
More than 30 000
soldiers and policemen
US moral and
Intelligence
support
ProcesoFoto2008

Mexican cartels
New York Times, 2009

Consequences
15 thousand deaths
More than 7 thousand traffickers captures
One big lord
Arturo Beltrán Leyva
El Universal, 2009

Consequences
1 executionevery 65 minutes
Violenceclimate in thewhole country
MexicanSenate and Center forJournalism and PublicEthics www.cepet.org
Reforma, 2009

Morelia’s drama
Grenade attack, Independence Day, 2008

How do criminals use journalists?
Proceso foto, 2010

Drug messages
Proceso foto, 2008

Ethical dilemmas
To cover or not to cover?
If I get a picture… am I an accomplice?
Mario Campos, Proceso foto 2004

Assassinations of journalists
From 2000 to 2009
57 journalists were killed
in Mexico
Most of them under impunity
Trials are opened
RSF, 2010

2009
Jean Paul Ibarra, El Correo, murdered on February 13th
Luis Daniel Méndez, murdered on February 23th
Carlos Ortega, El Tiempo, murdered on May 3th
Eliseo Barron, La OpiniónMilenio, kidnapped and murdered on May
26th
Martín Miranda, Panorama Radio, murdered on July 12th
Ernesto Montañez, Enfoque Magazine, murdered on July 14th
Daniel Martínez, Radiorama, murdered on July 27th
12 Mexicanjournalistswerekilled

2009
Norbert Miranda, Radio Visión murdered on September 23th
Fabián Ramirez, Magia Radio station, murdered on November 11th
Vladimir Antuna, El Tiempo de Durango, murdered on November 2nd
José Galindo, Radio Universidad de Guadalajara found death on December 24th
José Velázquez, Expresiones de Tulum.
Source: Center for Journalism and Public Ethics. www.cepet.org

Violations against the freedom of speech
183 journalists suffered from some type of threat or extortion in Mexico.
Journalists are victims of Levantones ( express kidnappings)
Most of them occured in Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla and Mexico City
Source: Center for Journalism and Public Ethics. www.cepet.org

Violations against the freedom of speech
In oneout of every threeattacks the police forces have been involved…
the same forces that guarantee the order in times of organized crime.
Proceso foto, 2009

Implications for journalism
Self-censorship
Journalists do not count with reliable sources
The official information is the one that flows but it is partial
The coverage limits itself to give the list of deaths or traffickers captured

Implications for journalism
“The confusion is permanent: incessant crimes do not allow to distinguish sides or reasons, the dead bodies pile up each day in the front pages and do not allow to see the forest”
MARIA IDALIA GOMEZ Y DARIO FRITZ
(Mexican journalists talking about covering drug trafficking)

Most violent cities
Ciudad Juarez (Mexico)
Caracas (Venezuela)
New Orleans (USA)
Tijuana (Mexico)
Bagdad takes the 10th place
Source: Citizen Council for Public Security

Ethical dilemmas
How to inform without being a speaker of the parts involved: the government or the crime?

Ethical dilemmas
Servando Gomez Martínez “La Tuta”
(from La Familia cartel)
interviewedby Milenio

What has Mexican media done ?
Televisa and Excelsior have decided not to record any narcomensaje
But other media like Milenio
have even interviewed criminals

Others, like Proceso have stopped signing the news stories.

Others have chosen self-censorship
March in front of the PGR office in relationtocrimes and agressionstojournalists.
Proceso foto
December 2009

What should journalists do?
Spread the news, “as an independent monitor of any type of power”.
Take care of themselves and media should provide them with training.
Journalists should be responsible in their coverage.
Take a field camp notebook, have a close relationship with their editor –to whom they must inform of all their steps.
Also gather with sources in public places.

What should journalists do?
A journalist is not the prosecutor, he is just a translator that explains and helps understand the complex reality of society.
Reports, statistics and sources’ testimonies should be confronted. Using leaks it’s OK, but through an accurate verification.

What Society needs to know…
Authorities corruption
Army, policemen and politicians
Money laundry
Impunity
Conflict of interest

The case of Colombia
To move journalists from zones of risk to safer ones.
Provide training in the coverage of organized crime.
Give life insurances and protection to family members of the journalists at risk.
Lower the number of assassinations through intelligence reports.
Plan Antonio Nariño

Thankyou
María Elena Meneses
Former TV journalist
Professor and researcher at Tecnológico de Monterrey
marmenes@itesm.mx
twitter@marmenes
My blog: http://enmediostec.blogspot.com/
Talía Murillo Monroy
Journalismstudent at Tecnológico de Monterrey
Assistantproducer at MVS Noticias
chuleton@gmail.com

Special Thanks to:
-Reuters TV Mexico bureau
-Center for Journalism and Public Ethics for bringing us The Anual Report one day before it went public. The complete report 2009 :
www.cepet.org
Jorge Luis Aguirre
ItzelBarrónChirino

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Doing journalism in times of trouble. the case of Mexico

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Doing journalism in times of trouble. the case of Mexico — Presentation Transcript