The fourth journalist to be killed in Mexico in less than a month

The death of Roberto Toledo, a reporter for a Michoacan-based news outlet, makes him the fourth media worker to die in the country in less than a month.

Roberto Toledo

Toledo was killed after his employer claimed his reporting on government corruption had led to threats against the outlet. Press freedom groups have already urged the government to do more to protect journalists in the wake of the weeks-long spate of killings. Rights groups said two of those killed in recent weeks, including Toledo, were already part of federal protection programs for journalists, while one was about to join.

Michoacan's attorney general's office has stated that Toledo died from his wounds. Authorities have said they are investigating the murder, but have not provided any further details. Armando Linares, director of Monitor Michoacan, stated that the outlet had reported on several sensitive stories, including three Indigenous communities seeking self-government, organized crime in the area, illegal logging, and corruption in local government. According to him, the website previously received threats for reporting on government corruption.

Reporters continue to face danger in Mexico, which is one of the most dangerous countries on earth. Human rights group Article 19 has documented the murders of at least 145 journalists between 2000 and 2021, including seven in the past year. 2022 has proven to be a particularly deadly year.

Within a week of Toledo's death, two other journalists, Margarito Martinez and Lourdes Maldonado Lopez, were killed in Tijuana. Their deaths took place on January 17 and 23, respectively. The rights groups claim Maldonado Lopez had been enrolled in the $23 million federal programme since last December. Martinez was in the process of applying for the program when he was killed.

Toledo was enrolled in the same protection system referred to by media as "el Mechanism" or the mechanism, according to the National Academy of Radio and Television Journalists. Under the program, security measures may include carrying a panic button to notify authorities, installing surveillance cameras around a home, or even having bodyguards.

According to Undersecretary of the Interior Alejandro Encinas, more than 90 percent of murders of journalists and rights defenders remain unsolved despite the programme.