In the face of violent murders of reporters and bombings of newspaper headquarters, a number of journalists in Colombia emerged as aggressive investigators of drug corruption in their country more than a decade ago. Today covering increasingly brutal drug cartel wars puts journalists in the line of fire in Mexico, now considered one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media workers. Drug gangs and even government agents—soldiers and police—threaten and attack journalists. As a result, many reporters practice self-censorship, which poses a danger to freedom of expression in the country. Is the drug war threatening democracy in Mexico? What is the current situation in Colombia, and does it relate to Mexico today? Are there lessons to be learned from the experience of Colombian journalists?
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Agenda
Opening and Introductions
Marguerite Sullivan
Senior Director
CIMA
Session I: Fighting Violence Against Colombian Journalists
Moderator
Don Podesta
Manager/Editor
CIMA
Mexican and Colombian media environments: A comparative analysis
Michael Shifter
Vice President for Policy and Director of the Andean Program
Inter-American Dialogue
Perpetrators of violence against Colombian journalists
Juan Carlos Iragorri
U.S. correspondent for Semana, Colombia
The role of the Colombian government in protecting journalists
Juliana Cano Nieto
Former Executive Director
Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP), Colombia
Session II: Mexico’s Media Environment
Moderator
Miriam Kornblith
Director, Latin America and the Caribbean Programs
National Endowment for Democracy
Fighting for press freedom in a dangerous country
Dolia Estévez
Senior Advisor for U.S.-Mexico Journalist Initiative of the Woodrow Wilson Center
Freelance Reporter for Mexican Media
Protection of Mexican journalists
Ana Avila
Senior Analyst
Institute for Security and Democracy, Mexico
Lessons to be learned from Colombia?
Carlos Lauría
Senior Program Coordinator for the Americas
Committee to Protect Journalists