Mexican journalists, particularly those reporting for small outlets outside of the capital, have long worked on the edge—threatened by violence and struggling to resist self-censorship. Who are the reporters behind the devastating homicide statistics? What motivates them? Why are they targeted? How can they be protected?
My guest in this episode is Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul, an award-winning investigative journalist and author whose work has focused on violence against reporters in Mexico, freedom of expression and other human rights issues. Our conversation covers her experience reporting on the trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, her project cataloguing the published work of murdered journalists, and how the work of local reporters and other community leaders overlaps—and exposes them to violence.
You can listen to the audio-only version of this interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and the video version is also available on YouTube.
Episode Notes
You can buy Alejandra’s books “Causa de muerte: Cuestionar al poder” and “El Chapo Guzmán: el juicio del siglo” here.
You can view the Defensores de Democracia archive here.
Listen to the podcast “Voces Silenciadas” here.
To learn more about the history of the press in Mexico, check out The Mexpat Interview with Andrew Paxman.
Questions, commentary or feedback? Email me: hola@themexpatriate.com. And if you would like to support my work, please subscribe below.
