Government “Protection” Exposed—Journalists Abandoned

Journalists in Mexico are being hunted, threatened, and silenced with impunity, while the very authorities tasked with protecting them seem more interested in looking the other way than upholding the Constitution or defending free speech.

At a Glance

• Mexico remains one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists, plagued by rampant violence and government inaction.
• Recent death threats against top investigative reporters Óscar Balderas and Luis Chaparro highlight the ongoing crisis.
• The so-called “protection mechanisms” for journalists are failing, with impunity running wild and attackers rarely brought to justice.
• International watchdogs and advocacy groups are demanding real investigations and systemic reform, not just empty rhetoric.

Brazen Threats and Deadly Consequences for Mexico’s Press

July 2025 has brought another grim reminder that in Mexico, telling the truth can cost you your life. Just days after receiving chilling phone and WhatsApp threats warning him to “keep quiet,” investigative journalist Óscar Balderas—known for exposing cartel violence and corruption—joined the ranks of reporters now forced to look over their shoulders. Luis Chaparro, another fearless journalist covering organized crime and immigration, was also named in these threats. This is not some Hollywood script; it’s the everyday reality south of the border.

While the world wrings its hands about press freedom, the Mexican government’s official “protection mechanism” continues to resemble a bad joke. More than three dozen journalists have been killed during President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s term, with attacks on the press averaging every 14 hours. That’s not a typo—every 14 hours. The “mechanism” was supposed to shield journalists and human rights defenders, but even those under its umbrella have been murdered. When government protection is as useful as a screen door on a submarine, you know something’s rotten in the state of Mexico.

Impunity and Incompetence: A Recipe for Chaos

Mexico has plummeted to 124th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders global press freedom index, a testament to the hostile, almost lawless environment for anyone daring to hold the powerful accountable. The media landscape is dominated by a duopoly with abysmally low pay for reporters—making it easy for criminals and corrupt officials to buy silence and harder for honest journalists to resist intimidation. The result? Impunity reigns. Few attackers are ever prosecuted, let alone convicted. The message from the halls of power and cartel compounds is the same: Speak up, and you might not live to regret it.

The May 2025 murder of journalist José Carlos González in Acapulco, following previous attacks in June 2023, sent shockwaves through the already-rattled press corps. González, like Balderas and Chaparro, had reported on organized crime. Authorities, meanwhile, have mastered the art of empty statements and hollow promises. No arrests, no real investigations—just more names added to a growing list of the dead and disappeared.

Advocates Demand Action—But the Cycle Continues

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are not mincing words. They’ve condemned the latest threats and called out Mexican officials for their lethargic response, warning that these attacks are part of a coordinated campaign to terrorize journalists into silence. CPJ’s Jan-Albert Hoosten put it bluntly: the threats against Balderas and Chaparro are possible only because of “festering impunity” and government failure. Yet as of July 13, 2025, not a single arrest has been made. The authorities have been notified, but neither journalist has filed a police report—perhaps because they know better than to trust the foxes guarding the henhouse.

What’s the cost of all this? The chilling effect is immediate and devastating. Investigative journalism withers, corruption festers, and society loses its watchdogs. When the truth becomes too dangerous to report, democracy itself is on life support. Families of journalists live in fear, civil society is robbed of independent information, and the only people celebrating are the cartels and corrupt politicians who profit from the silence.

Broken Systems and Grim Realities: Who Will Stand Up?

Mexican journalists operate with a target on their backs—low pay, no real institutional support, and a media system rigged to protect the powerful and punish the brave. Even with international pressure from advocacy groups and academic experts calling for systemic reform, the government’s idea of “protection” remains little more than a slogan. Some legislative proposals have even raised fears that new laws could serve to restrict press freedom, not defend it.

The world can’t afford to look away. Mexico’s press crisis is a warning to all who value liberty. If government inaction, criminal collusion, and judicial impotence can silence the truth in Mexico, where else might it happen next? For those who believe in constitutional rights, family values, and the power of a free press to hold the powerful to account, this is no distant problem—it’s a five-alarm fire at the very heart of democracy.

Sources:

JURIST: Mexico authorities urged to investigate threats toward journalists

LatAm Journalism Review: Mexico’s next president promises to protect the country’s journalists

LatAm Journalism Review: Two Mexican states take opposing paths on journalist protection

Ohio State University: Human Rights in Latin America: The Killing of Journalists in Mexico