Mexican official tries to downplay murdered journos

One group of victims in an increasingly violent Mexico is journalists. The death of Bradley Will in Oaxaca two years ago comes to mind though those killed are mostly locals like “top crime reporter” Armando Rodriguez who was gunned down last month. Is it any wonder that in 2007 Reporters Without Borders named Mexico the second-most dangerous country in the world for journalists?

Thus, it’s disheartening to read that some Mexican officials are trying to sugar-coat such a dangerous situation for journalists:

Only three of 25 reporters who died violently in the last two years in Mexico were killed because of their work, the country's special prosecutor for crimes against journalists said Tuesday.

Octavio Orellana said most of the reporters who died were bystanders in attacks against other people, were killed in accidents or committed suicide. He said several victims who worked with media outlets were not reporters.

The motives behind most reporters' deaths "are similar to what affects the rest of Mexicans," Orellana added, referring to sharply increased murder rates across the country.

The reaction from the Committee to Protect Journalists was to justifiable blast Orellana for “cherry-picking statistics” rather than effectively combating those who target journalists.

While Orellana feels it’s his duty to be a lame spinmeister, Mexican journalists and their families continue to live in fear of threats and being killed. Just ask Rodriguez’ 8-year-old daughter who sat with her dad as he was riddled with bullets.

Image- washingtonpost.com (“Police technicians tend to the body of journalist Armando Rodriguez after he was shot outside his home in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso.”)
Sources- Committee to Protect Journalists, csmonitor.com, AFP, Gothamist, AP