In 2025, Mexico recorded eight journalist disappearances or murders, topping the regional list according to Article 19, a UK-based journalist advocacy group. This surpasses the tally of four journalists murdered in 2024.
The report also highlights that Mexico saw 53 physical attacks against reporters, more than Honduras and Guatemala combined. The majority of journalist murders occurred in states with high levels of violence and criminal organization presence, including Durango, the State of Mexico, Guanajuato, Guerrero, and Sonora.
Judicial harassment became a significant issue in Mexico last year, with 153 cases documented by Article 19, making it the second leading mechanism of press harassment. Nearly one in every three aggressors was found to be a public official.
This report coincides with the first full year under President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, who took office in October 2024. A spokesperson for Sheinbaum did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Article 19’s findings.
Leopoldo Maldonado, the regional director for Mexico and Central America at Article 19, emphasized that society should not become accustomed to journalists’ lives being endangered by reporting, searching for the disappeared, or asking questions. In February, the Committee to Protect Journalists named Mexico as the deadliest country for journalists outside war zones in Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan, with a record of 129 journalist and media worker deaths globally last year.