Doing journalism in times of trouble. the case of Mexico
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Doing journalism in times of trouble. War on drugs and freedom of speech in Mexico By María Elena Meneses Research assistant: Talía Murillo March 11th 2010 Tecnológico de Monterrey and University of North Carolina and Chapell Hill academic meeting
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Transcript of 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 MenesesResearch assistant: Talía Murillo
March 11th 2010Tecnológico de Monterrey and University of North Carolina and Chapell Hill academic
meeting
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
Mexico: a dangerous place for journalists
Tele Atlas, Transnavicom, Europa Technologies, 2010
Drug Trafficking: A Global issue
• Producers
• Consumers
• International distribution networks
InternationalDistribution
Networks
European Parliament WWW.EUROPARL.EUROPA.EU
Heroin
Cocaine
Marijuana
Hashish
Mexico has fundamentally been a producer and distributor country through the known cartels and criminal organizations.
Drug Trafficking: A Global issue
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.
UN and Organization of American States
(OAS), 2009
David Høgshol
t
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 000soldiers and policemen
US moral and Intelligence support
Proceso Foto 2008
Consequences
15 thousand deaths
More than 7 thousand traffickers captures
One big lord Arturo Beltrán LeyvaEl Universal, 2009
Consequences
1 execution every 65 minutes
Violence climate in the whole country
Mexican Senate and Center for Journalism and Public Ethics
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 Opinión Milenio, 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 Mexican journalists were killed
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
In one out of every three attacks the police forces have been involved…
the same forces that guarantee the order in times of organized crime.
Violations against the freedom of speech
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
“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)
Implications for journalism
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?
Servando Gomez Martínez “La Tuta”(from La Familia cartel) interviewed by Milenio
Ethical dilemmas
What has Mexican media done ?
Televisa and Excelsior have decided not to record any narcomensajeBut other media like Milenio have even interviewed criminals
What has Mexican media done ?
Others, like Proceso have stopped signing the news stories.
Others have chosen self-censorship
What has Mexican media done ?
March in front of the PGR office in
relation to crimes and agressions to
journalists.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.
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 should journalists do?
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
María Elena Meneses Former TV journalist Professor and researcher at
Tecnológico de Monterrey [email protected] twitter@marmenes My blog:
http://enmediostec.blogspot.com/
Talía Murillo MonroyJournalism student at Tecnológico de
MonterreyAssistant producer at MVS [email protected]
Thank you
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- Itzel Barrón Chirino
