Norte, a Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, newspaper announced it will
be shutting down after nearly 30 years after three journalists from other news
organizations were killed last month.
The newspaper stated that journalism had become a high-risk profession
due to killings and increasing violence and threats against reporters.
Recent killings include:
Miroslava Breach, a correspondend for the national newspaper La Jornada –
shot eight times outside of a garage. Ricardo
Monlui Cabrera, a columnist – shot to death as he left a restaurant with his
wife and son. Cecilio Pineda Birto, a
freelancer and founder of La Voz de Tierra Caliente – killed at a carwash in
Ciudad Altamirano
While violence against journalists played a critical role in
the decision to shut down the newspaper, there were other factors in play. The newspaper executive, Mr. Murguia, listed financial
troubles, a strained relationships with local officials, and the wave of
violence against journalists as reasons for the shutdown.
The article states that Mexico is going through a “deep
freedom of expression crisis” and that the killings and threats are having a
chilling effect on the democratic process, reducing the flow of information to
citizens and lawmakers and stifling Mexicans’ ability to engage in public
debate.
I find this news very troubling and sad. While fake news and tensions between the
media and the government are major concerns in the United States, at least
journalists aren’t being killed for what they write. Mexico is not alone in its violence against
journalists, as the country “only” ranks 11th out of the 20
deadliest countries for journalists. It’s
shocking that the newspaper, El Diario, wrote a letter on their front page
asking Mexican drug cartels what they would be allowed to publish without
facing deadly consequences. Many
publications do everything they can to stay afloat by informing and providing valuable content to their readers –
it’s a shame that providing this service can be so life-threatening in certain
parts of the world.
It is indeed very sad.
ReplyDelete1143 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1992. 79 journalists have died in Syria since 2011. And yet, journalists still risk their lives to tell their stories to the world.
Journalism lights up the world. It exposes injustices, clarifies dismal situations, gives voice to the voiceless. It empowers and charms people, changes minds and offers the promise of a more fair world. For these and other reasons it has always been a profession under siege. Because they threaten to undermine powerful interests with truth, journalists are regularly attacked, imprisoned, slandered or live in countries where mainstream media is hijacked by the powerful to shape and control public opinion through misinformation and propaganda.
Credits: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/remember-the-journalists-who-risk-their-lives-for/
I would also like to add these quotes:
ReplyDelete“Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it.”
— Horace Greeley
“A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.”
— Arthur Miller
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
— Voltaire
“I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon.”
— Tom Stoppard
I was completely shocked by this fact that the esteemed journalists who were telling about the truth got threatened and killed. Another article says, at least 38 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992 for motives confirmed as related to their work. It's hard to imagine the place where justice and truth are not ever existed, whereas the violence becomes dominant. Journalists actually have been delivering voices from public, reporting truth and facts, representing justice and fairness. People should have the freedom to tell the authentic fact and those people - journalists, should be protected.
ReplyDeleteI was completely shocked by this fact that the esteemed journalists who were telling about the truth got threatened and killed. Another article says, at least 38 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992 for motives confirmed as related to their work. It's hard to imagine the place where justice and truth are not ever existed, whereas the violence becomes dominant. Journalists actually have been delivering voices from public, reporting truth and facts, representing justice and fairness. People should have the freedom to tell the authentic fact and those people - journalists, should be protected.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things about this class was learning the different ways journalism and professions in the media industry are viewed worldwide.
ReplyDeleteIts so troubling to read about this- news should be able to be reported on freely, fairly, and without the treat of consequences- or in this case, death.