Mexico recorded the biggest number of journalists killed for their work this year, followed closely by Syria, Afghanistan and the Philippines, The Independent reports quoting information from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
Nine journalists were killed in Mexico in 2019, including many of their bodyguards, with three of the deaths taking place in November alone. At least 120 journalists have been killed in the country since 2000 and most of the killings remain unsolved.
This year's death tally indicates that Mexican journalists are now facing the possibility of being killed compared with those who cover wars.
Based on data by CPJ, criminal organizations, cartels and militants in democratic but violent nations account for the increasing number of killings this year. Mexico and the Philippines - two of the deadliest nations - have safety nets in place that are supposed to improve safety for the news media.
Mexico has long been "the most dangerous country in the Western Hemisphere for journalists, which operates in the face of an intricate web of criminal, drug-trafficking gangs and entrenched corruption," the CPJ said.
The election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico in 2018 brought with it the optimism that the number of killings might drop, especially when Obrador vowed he would solve violence against journalists.
In spite of this pledge, the country's leader has since publicly expressed animosity toward the press both in Mexico and overseas, further deepening the problem.
Mexico's problem fundamentally stems from "impunity," Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ Mexico representative, said, adding that 90% of journalist killings remain unsolved.
"There's no strong political will to go after those who threaten and kill journalists," Ernest Sagaga, director of human rights and safety at the International Federation of Journalists, said.
