Winner of the Gold Medal of the Maria Moors Cabot Awards 2022, Ioan Grillo talks about how through journalism he has been able to show the world what lies behind the violence caused by drug trafficking in Mexico. He has written three books and has had hundreds of feature stories published in international news outlets.
With the death of Fredid Román, 15 journalists have been murdered in Mexico so far in 2022. While organizations such as the UN, CPJ and IAPA condemn the crimes, López Obrador's government denies the climate of violence against the press. The government even appears to be the main source of aggressions, according to a report by Article 19.
What began as a scuffle between rival criminal groups ended in attacks targeting the population that resulted in the deaths of four employees of the MegaRadio radio group. The killings, considered by organizations as a form of social destabilization, caused the radio station to temporarily cease transmissions.
For Mexican journalist Laura Castellanos, "it is vital that Latin American journalism become aware of its responsibility to cover, with a feminist perspective, the crisis that is tearing the region apart in terms of our civilization and the globe.” She is one of the winners of the Maria Moors Cabot 2022 award and talked about her work covering structural violence in her country in an interview with LatAm Journalism Review.
Mexico was one of the first countries to create a special prosecutor's office to investigate crimes against journalists. The Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) was created in 2010 in response to the increase in attacks, particularly murders, against journalists. Yet, from its inception to 2021, the FEADLE has only obtained 28 convictions.
Investigative journalism often uncovers illegalities and injustices and contributes to the securing of and access to rights. In the case of gender inequalities, investigative journalism also plays a crucial role. A university in Mexico seeks to fill the gap in training on this topic through an online course in investigative journalism with a gender perspective.
Mexican independent journalist and co-founder of Reporteras en Guardia Laura Castellanos and Chilean investigative journalist and author Daniel Matamala are among the 2022 recipients of the Maria Moors Cabot Awards, announced on July 21 by the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City. Peruvian-American journalist Daniel Alarcón and British foreign correspondent in Mexico Ioan Grillo were also winners of the Cabot Gold Medals.
The Mexican organization Causa Natura has launched the Journalism Network of the Sea (Repemar), an initiative that seeks to coordinate journalists interested in marine issues, provide support, guidance, training and financing opportunities. The network also wants to support environmental journalists and minimize the risks suffered when practicing the profession in Mexico.
Across Latin America, governments have attempted different models to investigate and prosecute attacks against journalists. It is evident that there is no unified model for creating an office to investigate and prosecute crimes against journalists. Some countries have special prosecutors, while other countries have investigative units. Moreover, the results of their efforts are often difficult to track, according to experts.
Brazil is where a growing aversion to the news is worst, as 54% of Brazilians avoid the news, well above the world average of 38%. In Argentina, 46% now say they avoid news content. The other countries in the region surveyed were Chile (38%), Colombia (38%), Mexico (37%), and Peru (37%).
The MasterLAB in Investigative Editing 2022 will provide training to nearly 20 journalists, mainly from Mexico, on tools and skills to conceive, organize, narrate, and produce investigative journalism, while monitoring the safety of their staff.
Family members, colleagues and national and international organizations demand justice and guarantees for a journalism free of violence in Mexico, after the murders of journalists Yesenia Mollinedo and Johana García on May 9, and of columnist Luis Enrique Ramírez, on May 5, all in the same month.