Gag Law in place for reporters in Sinaloa Mexico

knightcenter.utexas.edu reported as if the dangers of covering crime in one of the riskiest regions of the world for journalists weren’t enough, reporters in Northern Mexico now face new obstacles allegedly created by the authorities who were supposed to protect them.

The state government of Sinaloa passed legislation widely condemned as a “gag law” on crime reporting, and in Tamaulipas, government officials are believed to be behind a campaign to discredit media coverage of organized crime.

The law in Sinaloa, which bars journalists’ access to crime scenes and confines reporting to official statements by the state’s attorney general, “may be part of a trend fostered by the national government of President Enrique Peña Nieto to downplay news about drug wars and other violence as a way to attract outside investors,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Read Article