03/31/11 – For the first time ever, many of Mexico’s largest media outlets have agreed to a 10-point accord that sets coverage guidelines for the Mexican media. These voluntary guidelines cover more than 700 outlets across the country, including TV networks, a number of large radio station chains and several of Mexico’s most influential newspaper groups. These guidelines were made in an attempt to protect journalists and to avoid glorifying crime bosses. Since President Calderón’s crackdown on drug cartels, many journalists have been threatened while some have even been kidnapped or killed. Many reporters in Mexico refuse to add their names to stories to avoid reprisals. In northern states and border towns, drug gangs have consistently repressed news organizations making it increasingly difficult for residents to get access to information about violence in these areas.
The agreement proposes that news organizations should not serve crime groups’ “terror strategies” by portraying traffickers as heroes or publishing their propaganda, such as banners and messages left next to dead bodies that are often posted by cartels and frequently shown on television or in newspaper photographs. Under the agreement, the companies should draw up standards for showing violent images, such as decapitated bodies, and provide more context when reporting on drug violence. They also agreed not to reveal information that could endanger police operations, and to not treat suspects as guilty before trial. Additionally, the agreement encourages journalists to unite against threats by jointly publishing stories, a tactic which was used by the media in Colombia. The agreement also defends the media’s right to criticize government anti-crime actions, and question the police practices of displaying newly arrested suspects, often surrounded by their alleged weapons, before reporters and cameras.
Several outlets declined to sign, including the daily newspapers Reforma, La Jornada, and Proceso. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jenaro Villamil, a writer at Proceso, said in a radio interview that the agreement opened the door to censorship and marked an effort by media giants to control public opinion amid growing alarm over the country’s drug violence. Reforma issued a statement saying that it “has had its own mechanisms for editorial policy.” Supporters, including the biggest television networks, Televisa and TV Azteca, and many radio and newspaper companies, denied that the pact amounted to a form of self-censorship. President Calderón applauded the agreement, calling it an expression of “social responsibility” by news companies in Mexico.
Sources:
Associated Press. “Mexican media sets drug war coverage guidelines.” Google News. 25 March, 2011.
