Mexican President to Media: ‘You Know What Will Happen’ for Bad Coverage

One of the largest and most respected international press freedom organizations called out a series of statements made by Mexico’s President against critical news outlets. In a country that continues to be one of the deadliest for journalists, comments or threats by politicians against the media are a reason for concern.

In their most recent column, the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern over recent statements made by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO).

“If you go too far, you know what will happen,” AMLO is reported as having said on April 15 during his daily press briefings. Just one day later, AMLO walked back the comment, claiming his statement was about his followers calling out unfavorable press. Since taking office, AMLO maintains an uneasy relationship with critical news outlets.

The statement is of concern to press freedom organizations since Mexico continues to be one of the countries where journalists and mass communicators are routinely killed with near impunity. During his campaign, AMLO claimed that impunity would stop, however, since taking office in December, there have been seven journalists killed.

After each murder, AMLO’s administration released short social media posts, claiming his government would seek out answers.
According to the CPJ, since 1992, there have been 52 journalists and media workers murdered in direct connection to their respective works. An additional 61 are separately tallied where the motive remains unclear. A total of 113 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992.