Journalism Pakistan
Journalism Pakistan
PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalismHum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI toolsEnhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory adsBlogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepensPTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilitiesWill PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battleDefying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in PakistanIndia revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outletsUkraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda reportTwo Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture videoThe Olympic Games: A timeless testament to human excellence and unity

Mexican journalist shot dead

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published December 05, 2018

Join our WhatsApp channel

Mexican journalist shot dead

MEXICO CITY - The Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Mexican authorities to immediately undertake a credible and rigorous investigation into the killing of journalist Alejandro Márquez Jiménez, whose body was found on December 1 near Tepic, the capital of the northwestern state of Nayarit, according to news reports.

Márquez, 40, was the editor at Orión Informativo, a biweekly print and online news magazine he founded approximately two years ago, Nayarit-based reporter Norma Cardoso told CPJ. He had previously worked for around eight years at Crítica Diario, a local newspaper.

Local media said the reporter had also been politically active and supported the Movement for National Regeneration (Morena), the ruling political party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who assumed office on December 1. In a photo published widely on the day the news of his death was first reported, he was shown with López Obrador wearing a polo shirt sporting the logo of Morena.

"Mexican authorities must immediately do everything in their power to properly investigate whether the killing of Alejandro Márquez was in any way related to his work as a journalist," said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ's Mexico representative. "Deadly violence against reporters in Mexico will continue as long as attackers are allowed to act in impunity."

According to news reports, the body of the reporter was found in a ditch near the Tepic airport on the morning of December 1. In a December 2 article, Mexico City newspaper Excelsior said that he was last seen alive the afternoon of November 30, when he received a phone call while eating with his family, after which he left his home. The nature of the phone call has not been reported in national or local media. Several calls by CPJ to Márquez's family via cell phone remained unanswered as of December 4.

A December 3 article on the website of the reporter's former employer, Crítica Diario, reported that Márquez's body had been found with at least four bullet wounds, citing anonymous sources. The newspaper added that the body showed signs of beatings.

A spokesperson for the Nayarit Attorney General's Office (FGE) told CPJ that he had not yet been authorized to disclose any details about the investigation. As of December 4, the FGE had yet to release a statement on its website or its Facebook and Twitter pages about the murder.

Several attempts by CPJ on December 4 to reach Crítica Diario's Editor Lenín Guardado via WhatsApp message remained unanswered.

Ricardo Sánchez Pérez del Pozo, who heads the office of the Federal Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), told CPJ that his offices had opened an investigation into the murder.

Orión Informativo mostly covered local politics in Tepic and surrounding municipalities, according to reporter Norma Cardoso and news reports. CPJ was able to retrieve several articles published on the magazine's website in the last days before Márquez's murder, which all dealt with political events in the region, but was unable to obtain copies of its recent print editions.

Cardoso told CPJ that Márquez was well known for his highly critical reporting on local politics in the region but said that she was unaware of any threats against his life. CPJ was unable to find evidence of threats or previous attacks against Márquez as of December 4.

A spokesperson for the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely on the matter, told CPJ on December 2 that Márquez had not been incorporated in a federal protection scheme and had not reported threats to the institution.

Mexico is the deadliest country in the Western Hemisphere for journalists. With the murder of Alejandro Márquez, at least 10 reporters have been killed in Mexico in 2018, according to CPJ research. CPJ has determined that at least four of the journalists killed in 2018 were targeted in direct reprisal for their work. – A CPJ News Alert

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

 February 11, 2025:  The PFUJ has petitioned the Islamabad High Court to suspend the PECA Amendment Act, arguing that the law curtails press freedom and contains contradictory provisions. The court has issued a notice to the Attorney General for assistance.

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

 February 09, 2025:  Hum News Network becomes the first Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, enhancing productivity and innovation. Discover how this visionary move sets new standards in media.

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

 February 08, 2025:  As Pakistan faces an economic crisis, the government splurges taxpayers' money on full-page ads and press releases to glorify its achievements. Critics call it a wasteful PR stunt. Read how public funds are being misused for political propaganda.

PTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilities

PTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilities

 February 07, 2025:  PTV pensioners staged nationwide protests demanding their unpaid pensions, medical benefits, and dues for nearly 400 retirees. Protesters, supported by PFUJ, criticized PTV management for corruption and lavish expenses while neglecting retirees' rights.

Will PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battle

Will PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battle

 February 06, 2025:  PFUJ has challenged the controversial PECA Act 2025 in the Islamabad High Court, citing it as an attack on press freedom. Journalists and rights organizations protest the law’s implications for free speech and media independence in Pakistan.

Defying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in Pakistan

Defying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in Pakistan

 February 06, 2025:  Pakistani women journalists like Munizae Jahangir and Asma Shirazi face severe threats, harassment, and online abuse. This article explores the struggles of women in media, the systemic challenges, and potential solutions to ensure press freedom and journalist safety.

Contrasting paths:  White House welcomes digital media, Pakistan crushes it

Contrasting paths: White House welcomes digital media, Pakistan crushes it

 January 29, 2025:  As the White House welcomes podcasters and digital journalists, Pakistan tightens censorship through PECA amendments, silencing independent voices and forcing journalists into exile. A stark contrast in press freedom emerges.

PECA amendments further tighten government's grip on digital expression: IFJ

PECA amendments further tighten government's grip on digital expression: IFJ

 January 29, 2025:  Pakistan’s latest PECA amendments expand government control over social media, criminalize misinformation, and threaten freedom of expression. Media stakeholders and human rights groups condemn the draconian changes. Learn more about the implications for journalists and activists.

Newsroom
Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

 February 09, 2025 The Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025 is open for applications! This prestigious program at Columbia University offers journalists an intensive seminar on trauma reporting, media ethics, and responsible journalism. Apply by March 3, 2025.

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

 February 07, 2025 Mozambican journalist Albino Sibia was killed while filming police brutality, and reporter Pedro Junior was shot covering his funeral. Arlindo Chissale remains missing. These attacks highlight the dire state of press freedom in Mozambique amid post-election unrest.

India revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outlets

India revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outlets

 February 05, 2025 The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Indian government to stop targeting independent journalism after revoking the nonprofit and tax-exempt statuses of The Reporters’ Collective and The File. Learn how this impacts investigative reporting and media freedom in India.

Ukraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda report

Ukraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda report

 February 04, 2025 Ukraine’s security service (SBU) has opened a criminal case for disclosure of state secrets following Ukrainska Pravda’s report on statements by military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. CPJ urges authorities to respect press freedom and journalist protections.

Two Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture video

Two Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture video

 February 03, 2025 Cambodian journalists Duong Akhara and Lay Socheat have been detained on incitement charges after publishing a video allegedly showing torture in a cyberscam center. Press freedom advocates call for their immediate release.