The Board of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), meeting in Vienna, Austria, on 12 October 2011, calls on the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, to act swiftly to put a stop to violence against media professionals and to take strong measures to end impunity in the country.

Since the start of President Calderón’s mandate on 1 December 2006, at least 30 journalists have been killed for doing their work. At least three journalists have been killed so far this year and many have been kidnapped or threatened.

The government’s current offensive against organised crime and the deep-rooted culture of impunity that prevails in the country are jeopardising the very existence of journalism in Mexico. Left unprotected by the state, media professionals are often faced with the impossible choice of exile or self-censorship. In certain parts of the country, such as the state of Tamaulipas, news blackouts are part of everyday life.

The Board of WAN-IFRA calls on President Calderón to ensure media professionals can conduct their work without fear of violence or retribution, and to take vigorous measures to end the impunity that protects those who murder and intimidate them. The Board respectfully reminds President Calderón that it is his responsibility to guarantee his citizen’s access to broad and independent news reporting. The Board also calls on the international community to continue to support the Mexican media by all means possible as it faces the darkest time in its history.