Brian Conley and co heading home

Following the detention of Brian Conley, founder of Alive in Baghdad, and some of his colleagues on August 21st in Beijing, news emerged today that he and his companions have been released and are expected to arrive in los Angeles on Monday morning.
An email from Conley’s wife Eowyn reads:
We just got word that Brian and [...]

The News finally launches website

Remember the English-language newspaper The News which launched last October, pledging independence?
English language newspaper The News hit the streets of Mexico City today after a five year hiatus.
Its directors have promised a more independent tone this time around. In its prior incarnation The News kept its head under the parapet, preferring to keep its advertisers [...]

North of the border

MexicoReporter.com is heading north of the border for two weeks on a research and training trip.
We’ll be in Los Angeles for some of the time, and then San Diego and La Frontera for the rest.
I’m hoping to file for you FROM the border, where we’ll be heading down to hook up with the Los Angeles [...]

Frontline Club Journalism Award Winner: John D McHugh

Winner of the Frontline Club Journalism Award John D McHugh is interviewed at the Frontline Club, London, about his award-winning work from Afghanistan.
Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

Latin America promotes but doesn’t respect human rights

Latin American countries such as Brazil and Mexico have been strong on promoting human rights internationally and in supporting the UN human rights machinery during 2007.
But unless the gap between their policies internationally and their performance at home is closed their credibility as human rights champions will be challenged, according to this week’s report from [...]

Arrest warrants issued for Cacho case

Warrants for the arrest of five public employees involved in the illegal detention of journalist Lydia Cacho (pictured) have been issued in Mexico after the nation’s Supreme Court decided at the end of last year not to pursue legal proceedings against those involved in the case.
The Attorney General’s office, which represents a special office set [...]

April update: Violence against journalists continues

April is shaping up to be a bad month for journalists in Mexico.

Police linked to death threats of Veracruz newspaper

At around 10pm on Tuesday night of this week, Auricela Castro García, the publisher of El Mundo de Orizaba, a daily based in Orizaba in the southeastern state of Veracruz, received a phonecall.
Identifying himself as José Sánchez, the caller asked to speak to the publisher “for personal reasons.” The call was transferred to the editor, [...]

Mexico: Impunity and Collusion

Threats to reporters from government and criminals are making investigative journalism impossible, writes Deborah Bonello

In February this year, the car of Mexican journalist Estrada Zamora was found empty on the side of the road in the southern state of Michoacán with its engine running. Zamora was not inside and has not been seen since.
Click [...]

Violence censors journalists in Mexico

This is a version of an article which appeared in Press Gazette last month.
While traveling home through Pánuco, Veracruz with his 16 year old son in late January this year, Octavio Soto Torres, journalist and director of the Mexican daily Voces de Veracruz, was shot at by four masked gunmen. This was just the latest [...]