Journalists fleeing violence in Veracruz

05 Aug 11 | Americas, Mexico

The recent murders of three journalists have spread fear throughout the small community of night police reporters in the coastal city of Veracruz, southern Mexico.  All three victims worked for Notiver, a tabloid known for its lurid crime reporting. The latest murder, of journalist Yolanda Ordaz, created such collective fear that several journalists from both Notiver and other news outlets have fled the region in fear for their lives.

Causing outrage at Notiver, a statement from local authorities denied Ordaz’s murder was related to her work, claiming instead that there were indications her killing was connected to organised crime in the area.

Notiver itself has also received criticism. Media critic Marco Lara Klhar commented thatin continuing to publish lurid violent pictures and deriding local citizens such newspapers were putting their journalists at risk. He also lamented the government’s claim of the murders being connected to organised crime, predicting that the killings will remain unsolved.

Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters, with seven journalists being killed in 2011 alone.

Mexico: missing crime reporter found dead

27 Jul 11 | Index Index, minipost, News and features

The decapitated body of Yolanda Ordaz, a reporter for regional paper Notiver, has been found in the Mexican city of Veracruz two days after she went missing. Ordaz had reportedly been investigating the 20th June murder of her colleague, columnist Miguel Angel López Velasco, his wife, and son, a photographer with the newspaper. Ordaz was also said to have received death threats in connection to her work. Local authorities, meanwhile have said there are indications her death is related to organised crime, rather than her work as a journalist.

According to reports, a note found with the body seems to connect Ordaz’s murder to the López killing. The note read: “Friends also betray. Sincerely, Carranza.” This may tie the murder to the chief suspect in the López case, identified as former traffic police officer Juan Carlos Carranza.