Mexico's News Anchor Ciro Gomez Leyva's Shooting Was Staged, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Suggests

Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has raised the possibility that the attempted assassination of Mexican news anchor Ciro Gomez Leyva was staged.

The Mexican president also suggested that Gomez Leyva's shooting was an attempt to destabilize the government.

Lopez Obrador said the shooting may have been planned by "someone who did it to affect us." The president's insinuation has caused a backlash coming from well-known media figures.

A letter signed by 180 journalists published on Wednesday suggested that Lopez Obrador has created a "hostile environment" for reporters and journalists by "constantly demonizing the press."

The letter noted that if the president fails to "control his impulses of anger toward critical journalists," it would take the country to an "even bloodier stage."

Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said Mexico has yet to make broad policy changes to make the country safer for media workers.

Hootsen noted that Lopez Obrador has resorted to downplaying the issue more often than not.

Gomez Leyva also issued a message through WhatsApp asking whether the government can execute an independent investigation amid the "climate of attacks" by Lopez Obrador.

Mexican News Achor Ciro Gomez Leyva's Shooting

Ciro Gomez Leyva is a news anchor for the national news network Grupo Imagen. He was driving a bulletproof SUV when a rider on a motorcycle opened fire on him late Thursday.

The Mexican news anchor was unharmed, but the attack once again showed the violence against journalists under Lopez Obrador's administration.

Lopez Obrador said Gomez Leyva is a journalist, a human being, but he was also a "leader of public opinion." The Mexican president added that harming a figure like Gomez Leyva "creates a lot of political instability."

Gomez Leyva said the armor of the truck he was driving saved him. The news anchor noted that he had reported the matter to the authorities.

Mexico is leading in the number of missing journalists worldwide, with 15 cases since 2005.

Violence Against Media Workers in Mexico

According to Reporters Without Borders, 20% of journalists murdered around the world were in Mexico.

Organized crime groups were often blamed for the killings of journalists. However, press freedom advocates have criticized authorities and Mexico's weak law enforcement for failing to address the issue.

CPJ noted that the group has found authorities are "often slow to respond and fail to apply best practices to evidence gathering."

The group added that authorities seemed to hurry to present suspects instead of conducting a thorough investigation.

In February, Heber Lopez was killed the day after he published an article about a local official's corruption.

Armando Linarez Lopez was then murdered the following month. He was the editor of a news website in Michoacan.

A freelance crime photographer, Alfonso Margarito Martinez Esquivel, was also shot dead outside his home in Tijuana at the start of 2022.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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