The following is an excerpt of a 20 April 2020 CPJ blog post by Jan-Albert Hootsen/CPJ Mexico Representative.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck Mexico, the country was already one of the most dangerous in the world for journalists, according to CPJ research.
Although the number of confirmed infections and deaths in Mexico is still relatively low, the country is bracing for an exponential increase in infections and the inevitable strain it will place on the country’s healthcare system, according to local news reports.
Mexican reporters and editors told CPJ that they are deeply concerned about the pandemic. Recently, dozens of reporters in the northern state of Coahuila asked the state government for tests after they covered a protest of medical personnel where an outbreak of COVID-19 was detected, according to reports.
CPJ spoke with four journalists in phone interviews last week about the risks of covering COVID-19 in Mexico, the measures they and their outlets are taking to protect themselves, and the challenges they face in an already difficult media landscape. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Read the full blog post on CPJ’s site.
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Source: MEDIA FEED
