Journalist in Mexico Tells Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador He's Afraid for His Life During Press Briefing

Mexico is currently one of the deadliest countries for journalists right now. A reporter emphasized it during a briefing, telling President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that he was afraid for his life.

According to the Associated Press, reporter Rodolfo Montes was in Lopez Obrador's daily news briefing when he told this to the president with a trembling voice.

Montes said he received a threatening phone call from a man claiming to be a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The reporter also raised concerns about the government withdrawing the bodyguards assigned to him.

Montes noted that while the caller claimed he was a member of the Jalisco cartel, he believed that it was not true. He told the president that he suspected somebody else and that they were "hiding a government employee."

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Pledges to Protect Reporter

According to ABC News, Rodolfo Montes is an independent reporter who contributed to several national outlets in Mexico, including Proceso. He claimed he received the threats while in Quinta Roo state, where the state's interior department officials helped him leave.

For his part, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged to protect Montes. The fear the reporter is experiencing is very understandable, as Mexico is regarded as the deadliest country for journalists outside of a warzone.

Twelve journalists have already been killed in the country this year so far. There have also been plenty of attacks directed toward journalists that have not been fatal.

However, it is still jarring for many journalists as they have been targeted by some of the most powerful people in the country - from politicians to drug syndicates.

2022 Is the Deadliest Year for Journalists in Mexico so Far

The Washington Post reported that this year's journalist killings were already thrice as many as last year's numbers. It was described as an "epidemic" happening in the country with the death of many news writers, photographers, and editors.

The uptick in journalist deaths in Mexico was not attributed to just one criminal organization such as the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, nor was it attributed to just one corrupt government agency.

Instead, the main reason for the deaths may be the culture of impunity currently in Mexico. Killers are now acting without fear of repercussions when conducting murders.

There are also a variety of factors that journalists in the country face every day. The latest journalist killed in the country was Antonio de la Cruz, who died last June when a man riding a motorcycle fired at him in his car in Tamaulipas state.

Also killed in the attack was his daughter, Cinthya de la Cruz Martínez, 23, who was with him inside his vehicle. Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that Montes' direct appeal to the president highlights the dangers journalists are currently facing in Mexico.

He said this was not the first time a reporter directly appealed to the president during a press briefing. He added that if they feel forced to go to the president directly, it was because they have already faced problems in dealing with the lower levels of the government.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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