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Press freedom summit urges Mexico to reform journalist protections (Demo)

The following is an excerpt of a 2 July 2019 CPJ blog post by Jan-Albert Hootsen/CPJ Mexico Representative.

On June 18, more than 400 people converged in Mexico City for CPJ’s Mexico Press Freedom Summit. Energized by a sense that the country is at a point of profound political change under the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the conference delved into the threats for Mexican journalists.Journalists called for the government to change its rhetoric against the press, to reform federal spending on advertisement, and to commit to transparency in rooting out illegal surveillance. The most urgent issues however, were the cycle of violence and impunity – Mexico has long been the deadliest country for the media in the Western Hemisphere – and the weakness of institutions created to protect journalists and investigate crimes against the press.

The overall feeling was one of profound crisis and also unprecedented opportunity as President López Obrador assumed office in December with an absolute majority for his Movement for National Regeneration (Morena) in Congress. But many also believe this window of opportunity is closing, and have started to express doubts about whether the president will keep to commitments made during his election campaign.

Read the full blog post on CPJ’s site.

The post Press freedom summit urges Mexico to reform journalist protections appeared first on IFEX.

Source: MEDIA FEED

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