On this episode of the podcast, host Nathaniel Parish Flannery talks to Katherine Corcoran, the former Associated Press Bureau Chief for Mexico, and the author of a fantastic new book called IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF: A MURDER, A COVER-UP, AND THE TRUE COST OF SILENCING THE PRESS. Corcoran’s engaging book delves into investigating the murder of Regina Martinez, a high-profile journalist who covered the topic of political corruption in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, Mexico. Over the last 12 years, Veracruz stands out as BY FAR the most dangerous state in Mexico for journalists. The dynamics covered in IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF help explain the broader risks that critical journalists face when writing about organized crime and political corruption in Mexico. "In the case of Veracruz, they operated under the system where the governor was the strongman who negotiated with the cartels and organized crime. That’s what was going on under Javier Duarte. They all made huge amounts of money in this criminal government either by stealing public funds or collaborating with drug cartels. That’s what created this atmosphere of fear and intimidation, and uncertainty. Because the authorities were the perpetrators. You couldn’t go to the police. They wanted to keep you silent," Corcoran says. "The whole strategy of the president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has been to be very hands-off with the cartels. He is very much against confronting organized crime directly. What has happened is that these collaborations between the political system and organized crime have increased. Corruption has increased. That is why it continues to be so dangerous to be a reporter in Mexico," she adds. In total, according to Article 19, 43 journalists were killed in Mexico during Lopez Obrador’s time in office (through the end of 2023). Another journalist was kidnapped and killed a few days before this podcast was recorded. The 2023 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index ranks Mexico in 128th place, among the world’s worst countries in terms of press freedom. In 2022, Reporters Without Borders ranked Mexico as the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Nathaniel asks Katherine Corcoran what grade she would give President Lopez Obrador for his rhetoric towards the media in Mexico. "I would give him a ‘D.’ He has used his daily press briefing to attack the press and say that any critical press of his administration is orchestrated by his enemies, by the United States. He doesn’t look at the press as any kind of component of a democracy where you have an independent watchdog that is keeping an eye on the government. To him, he doesn’t want a watchdog. He knows best. He is going to fix everything. He doesn’t need any critics. He has created a very hostile environment for reporters. His rhetoric is very dangerous. He is basically giving license to anybody who wants to attack the press," she says.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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