‘If life is cheap in Mexico, then the life of a journalist is even cheaper’: An interview with Bernardo Ruiz, director of ‘Reportero’
January 8, 2013 1 Comment
An image from Bernardo Ruiz’s ‘Reportero’, which follows journalists working at Mexican newsweekly Zeta, including Sergio Haro (pictured) (Photo: Bernardo Ruiz)
Documentary film maker Bernardo Ruiz knew he had uncovered an important story when what was supposed to be a 30 minute meeting with a journalist in Mexicali, Mexico, in 2009, turned into a three hour discussion.
Ruiz met Sergio Haro, a reporter for Tijuana-based Zeta magazine, while researching a story about youth migration in Mexico. The conversation he had with the veteran reporter led to the creation of ‘Reportero’, a documentary following journalists at Zeta as they cover the cartels in Mexico, which has had its launch in the United States this week.
For decades, the journalists at the independent newsweekly have been writing about corruption and crime – despite death threats and targeted attacks. To date, Zeta has had two of its staff murdered, including co-founder Hector Miranda.
The film focuses on Haro and Adela Navarro, the current editor of the paper. Both have encountered death threats during their time there.
Reading between the lines: Journalism in Guatemala
July 27, 2012 1 Comment
In Guatemala, journalism is a game of self-censorship: You say as much as you can about what is happening, and as little as you can about who is doing it.
By Anna-Claire Bevan
“Guatemala’s precarious positioning makes it one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, and one of the most dangerous places in the Americas to be a journalist” (Graham Hunt)
It’s no secret that Guatemala is a dangerous country: Central America’s largest nation is teeming with gangs, violence and crime. Its precarious positioning, on the main corridor for US-bound drugs, makes it one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman and one of the most dangerous places in the Americas to be a journalist.
Efforts to improve security have only lead to greater militarisation, abuse within the police force and an erosion of the law. Many suggest that the war on drugs is becoming a war on women; rape, torture and killing are as common now amongst females as they were during the country’s 36-year civil war, which ended in 1996.
Journalism here is a game of self-censorship: you say as much as you can about what is happening, and as little as you can about who is doing it. Those who speak out against impunity do so with the knowledge that their words could cost them their life. So, consequently, the desire to report reality is offset by concerns for personal safety.
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Filed under Comment, Guest Posts, INSI Blog, Interviews Tagged with Carlos Andrino, corruption, CPJ, drugs, Guatemala, impunity, IPYS, Latin America, local journalists, Lucia Escobar, press freedom, security, The Guardian, The Rory Peck Trust