Three Battles
By Sonia Corona*
Mexico is the most dangerous place in the American continent to work as a journalist, according to Reporters without Borders. I’m from Mexico, I chose journalism as a career and I was censored last year. It has been hard to stand for my decision of becoming a journalist, but it has been even harder to see my country doesn’t respect my rights and Mexican citizens don’t care about theirs.
I joined my university student paper in 2004. Back then, I was completely convinced that as a reporter, I had the obligation to inform my community and to do my job the best I could. I knew professional journalist were being killed and several cases of censorship were taking place in those years, so I decided to study abroad and learn more about journalism, film and TV production to make sure that I took the right decision.
I went to the U.S. and learned about the First Amendment. Mexico has laws that protect freedom of speech, but I realized that if a constitution protects this right, it also guarantees the right of the people to be informed. When I got back to Mexico at the end of 2005, more censorship cases started to emerge in my country.
The Lost Battles
Three stories about censorship shaped my opinion that human rights’ violations are quite common in Mexico. Moreover, I also noticed Mexicans don’t care about these cases because they ignore their rights, or think these are lost battles.
A ring of power
In 2005, journalist Lydia Cacho wrote a book about a child abuse ring in which several entrepreneurs were involved. Cacho was jailed without warning and was taken by police from Quintana Roo, in southeast Mexico, to Puebla in Central Mexico. Two months later, a recording was broadcast nationwide in which the governor of Puebla, Mario Marin had agreed with one of the entrepreneurs involved in Cacho’s book to accuse and apprehend her for libel. The journalist got out from jail and took a plaintiff to the Mexican Supreme Court for violation of human rights and exercise of press. The Court decided the governor’s actions didn’t not violate the law. The governor is still in office, although his abuse of authority and the allegations on Cacho’s book have not been proven false.
Editorial differences
Carmen Aristegui was one of the journalist who decided to broadcast the recordings of the governor in her radio show. Her show gained popularity because the she presented stories that were usually omitted in mainstream media, and offered the audience investigative reports and debates on political issues. The show was broadcast nationally until the beginning of this year.
In January, the owners of the station thar produced Aristegui’s show asked her to leave the station because of “editorial differences”. However, Aristegui said the owners considered her “too critical” of the government, because she presented the point of views of the political opposition. After she left the radio show, the ratings of the radio station fell down. She still hosts an interview show on CNN en Espanol and writes a column for a national newspaper.
Close to home
I was also censored. I was a staff member of the student newspaper La Catarina for three years. While working in this newspaper, I learned how to work as a reporter and news editor, but I also learned how to stand for my freedom of speech.
In 2007, the paper was closed under false justifications, two weeks later it was re-opened. Four months after the re-opening, the staff was entirely replaced by the university administration. This is the short version of what happened in my university’s campus, what our readers could see, what we let pass by.
What they saw was not all that happen.
During La Catarina’s censorship, I wanted to stress out that censorship is not only an authority closing a paper, firing journalists or suing them. It goes further than that. It’s a matter of human rights of journalists and audiences too.
The student newspaper staff had to stand the pressure of the university’s administration before closing the paper. Carmen Aristegui had to go through the pressure of government and Lydia Cacho had to stand the pressure of entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the audiences stopped receiving news.
The audience usually doesn’t notice the hard times journalists go through. In most cases in Mexico, people hear about journalists who were censored, but never take a minute to think how can they help to stop it.
People, as well as journalists, can stop censorship. If they demand their right to be informed, these cases could decrease. They should ask their representatives in Congress for better laws on human rights and keep their government, entrepreneurs and school officials accountable.
Mexico is still a dangerous place to be a journalist. Despite of what I have seen and gone through, I know that still can change. I am willing to work as a journalist because I want to defend my right to work as one, but also to stand for my rights as a citizen.
*Sonia is a former information editor, opinion editor, reporter, photographer and columnist of student newspaper La Catarina. She attended Texas Christian University and The American University as an exchange program student. She is graduating from UDLA, Mexico on April 2008.
