Violence against journalists, including the murder of three journalists and several attempted murders, physical aggressions, threats, and a high level of impunity, continue to be the most severe violations of press freedom in the country.
On October 17, the headquarters of El Debate in Culiacán, Sinaloa, was the target of several shots fired by unknown assailants and two days later, a newspaper reporter was beaten and is missing.
As serious threats, the continuous aggressions from the government of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, primarily through his daily speeches, also stand out. His successor, president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, said she will maintain the morning conferences.
The President continued to attack journalists who were critical of his administration. He repudiated the role of the traditional media and its owners, whom he described as "corrupt, potentates and machuchones." He welcomed the segment in his mornings, "Who's Who in the Lies," which he considered a tool to inform and sensitize the people.
On July 3, he summoned Pablo Gómez, head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), to his morning conference to reveal that the Latinus consortium, where journalist Carlos Loret de Mola works, is being investigated for money laundering and corruption. According to this investigation, which has not been concluded, it is presumed that money from state governments and the Electoral Tribunal was triangulated to pay its journalists. This media published several investigations on probable irregularities committed by the President's brother, Pío López Obrador, and his sons Andrés, Gonzalo and José Ramón López Beltrán.
In August, in a morning newscast, the President reiterated his criticism against Televisa for an alleged blackmail of 200 million pesos against Rocío Nahle, former head of the Ministry of Energy. According to the President, the blackmail was in exchange for not publishing documents related to alleged acts of corruption during the construction of a hydrocarbon plant in Dos Bocas Paraíso, Tabasco.
On August 29, without presenting evidence and violating the secrecy of personal data, the President detailed the alleged salaries of journalists critical of his administration, such as Jorge Ramos in the U.S., León Krauze, Ciro Gómez Leyva, Carlos Loret de Mola, and Joaquín López Dóriga.
On August 30, the President organized the First Continental Meeting of Independent Communicators. Influencers and YouTubers from alternative portals who were loyal to his government participated.
During this period, three journalists were murdered:
On April 26, producer and journalist Roberto Figueroa was murdered in the state of Morelos after being kidnapped. His wife paid the ransom, but that same day, he was found dead in his car on a road in the town of Coajomulco. Figueroa directed and hosted the portal "Acá en el Show" and was critical of the administration of Governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo. No progress in the investigations is known.
On June 28, Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales, editor of the news portal Realidades, was found dead on the side of a highway, with bullet wounds, signs of torture, his hands tied, and his face covered. His death was linked to the exercise of his profession. Morales was reporting on insecurity, the displacement of populations due to violence, and armed confrontations in various regions of Chiapas.
On August 4, Alejandro Martínez Noguez, better known as "El Hijo del Llanero Solititito," died after an armed attack on the patrol car of the Transit and Road Police Department that was guarding him while he was returning from covering an accident in the municipality of Villagrán. On November 28, 2022, he had been the victim of a first homicide attempt. The events occurred in the Valle Hermoso neighborhood in Celaya. On that occasion, through his Facebook page, he narrated that a guy with a black vest, cap, and beard with a padlock tried to shoot him, but the gun "jammed." Since then, "El Llanero" has been in custody. He had a long career in journalism in Celaya, where he worked in the newspapers El Sol del Bajío, AM de Celaya, El Heraldo, and Correo.
On July 11, José "N" was found guilty of his participation in the murder of journalist María Elena Ferral, which occurred on March 30, 2020, in Papantla.
On July 16, in Cancún, several armed individuals attacked the home of journalist César Guzmán, director of the police information website Código Rojo.
On July 17, journalist Federico Hans Hagelsieb was shot in the back in Caborca, Sonora. Known as "El Güero Hans," he is a reporter and director of Artículo 7mo El Observador, which covers the red news in Caborca. He was unharmed. The journalist was on "constant" alert due to the threats he received for his journalistic work. Five days later, the Sonora State Prosecutor's Office arrested a suspect.
On July 23, reporter Augusto Simón Valencia was beaten with glass bottles by a group of men in the municipality of Tochtepec, Puebla. Since 2017, the journalist has had security measures by the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. He owns the news portal 7/24 in Tecamachalco and covers security issues for media outlets in Puebla.
On August 21, an armed group shot journalist Ariel Grajales Rodas, director of the Villaflores.com.mx website. The journalist, with more than 30 years of experience in the Chiapas media, denounces acts of violence in the state.
On September 10, journalist Edgar Arroyo was shot at in the municipality of Cuernavaca, Morelos. He was the radio coordinator of La 99, the Diario de Morelos corporate newspaper.
In August, it was known that only 18 of 162 cases of journalists murdered since 1997 to date were solved. According to the UNESCO Observatory of Murdered Journalists, there are open proceedings for 103 cases.
On July 9, Article 19, the Mexico chapter, presented the document "Derechos pendientes. Six-year report on freedom of expression and the right to information in Mexico". It denounces that the government of President López Obrador leaves pending issues such as the increase in violence against journalists, lack of transparency, spying on citizens, and laws that imply censorship. According to this organization, between December 1, 2018, and March 31, 2024, 3,408 aggressions against the press, 46 murders, and four disappearances were registered.
The report denounces that spying on citizens without criminal records or warrants continued. Also, the Army continued to purchase the Pegasus malware, which had already been used to spy on journalists and human rights defenders during the time of former President Enrique Peña Nieto. Article 19 also highlighted the Supreme Court of Justice ruling that allows individuals to request, without a court order, the removal of publications on websites and social networks for alleged copyright violations.
