In the Sinaloa state, which ranks among Mexico's most violent, reporters will no longer be allowed to organically report on criminal activity in the state, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

The Sinaloa state Congress on Thursday passed a law that restricts reporters writing about crime to include only information given in the official government release of that crime. Journalists won't be allowed to survey crime scenes, take photos or record audio clips, per the law.

The LA Times suggested that the law could be part of an effort by President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration to try to reduce the attention on crime in Mexico in an effort to attract foreign investment.

"They only want the official version to get out," said Javier Valdez, founder of Riodoce, a publication in Sinaloa. "This is a huge attack on the freedom of expression."

The Sinaloa state is the base of the eponymous drug cartel, which is the most powerful in Mexico. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, previously the most wanted man in Mexico, was arrested in Sinaloa in February.

The law will take affect on Oct. 15, but Mexican journalists say they will appeal, BBC reported.

"What's going to happen to media and journalists who get information and publish it?" said Gabriel Mercado, leader of the June 7 Journalists and Communicators Association. "Will they be detained?"

State officials in Sinaloa maintain that the law isn't aimed at restricting freedom of expression, instead saying that it's about keeping journalists from interfering in crime scenes.

"There will be many changes in the roles of each one of us," said Sinaloa state Prosecutor Marco Antonio Higuera Gomez. "But there will be no restriction to the work of the media."

Sinaloa Governor Mario Lopez Valdez proposed the bill and it was unanimously approved by state legislators.

"The media will have access to information on the crime investigations through the press releases prepared by the official public information department," the law states.