Journalist Yensi Roberto Ordóñez was found dead of apparent stab wounds inside a car in the southern Guatemalan city of Nueva Concepción, Escuintla, EFE reports.
Ordóñez, 24, was a teacher and also worked for Canal 14 TV, where he hosted news programs directed at youth, Prensa Libre explains.
According to another Prensa Libre article, the journalist’s relatives said that Ordóñez had received threats related to his work and was an extortion victim. Robert Santizo, the director of Canal 14, repudiated the crime and also said that the journalist had received death threats based on his coverage.
Guatemala has one of the highest intentional homicide rates in the world, but journalist killings are relatively uncommon. However, according to Cerigua, in spite of a reduction in violence against the press in 2010, self censorship in areas with drug trafficking violence increased significantly.
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» Reporters Without Borders (Local news presenter killed after reported threats, reporter held on questionable grounds)
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
