Rubén Arnoldo González

As a consequence of the endemic anti-press violence, Mexican journalists work under dangerous conditions. The constant aggressions have eroded the practice of free journalism and, thus, the people’s right to know. Drawing on a set of semi-structured interviews with news workers from the most violent states across the country, my study argues that this phenomenon has a threefold impact at the individual, organizational, and societal level. That is, those attacks affect the victims, the newsrooms they work for, and their audience. However, the impact is not always negative (e.g. self-censorship or press release dependence), because there are some positive outcomes, such as the creation of reporters’ associations or an incipient boost of investigative journalism. In addition, according to the interviewees, the origins of the phenomenon are related to - on the one hand - the inherent risks associated with the practice of professional journalism, such as adopting a watchdog role and, hence, keeping authorities and powerful groups accountable. On the other hand, those risks become extremely dangerous in a context of a defective democracy with high levels of structural violence, clientelism, and collusion between government and de facto powers.

Definition of journalists' safety

Journalists’ safety is the extent they can professionally perform their duties within an environment free from any type of retribution connected with their work. In this case, a professional journalist is a properly trained individual, who acknowledges and embraces a societal function and, hence, has the freedom to perform his/her duties according to a set of standards shared by his/her peers.

Future plans for research on journalists' safety

Journalistic professionalization within high-risk contexts.