Mexico is facing a renewed wave of violence against journalists, with six journalists killed in less than three months, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The latest killing, that of photographer and content creator Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas in Puebla, has once again highlighted the dangers faced by journalists reporting on local politics, corruption, public security and other issues of public interest.
Zúñiga, 35, was shot on August 29 inside a business he owned in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, Puebla. According to reports cited by CPJ, two unidentified attackers approached him, fired several shots, and fled. Zúñiga was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries. Mexican authorities have opened an investigation, while the federal Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) is following the case.
The killing came after Zúñiga had publicly reported threats connected to his work. On May 9, he said on Facebook that unidentified individuals had warned him to stop publishing critical content and to “stay out of politics.” Zúñiga regularly shared photographs, videos and drone footage covering cultural and social events in the region. He also occasionally criticized local government policies, including security measures, waste collection and alleged police abuses.
His death represents the latest episode in an increasingly alarming pattern.
A deadly summer for Mexican journalism
According to CPJ, Zúñiga was the sixth journalist killed in Mexico in less than three months, making the period one of the country’s most serious spikes in violence against journalists in more than a decade. Five of the six killings occurred in just over two months.
The journalists killed during this period include Carlos Castro, Juan David Gámez, Roxana Guzmán Ramírez, Luis Ángel López Valdez, Manuel Alejandro Moreno Serna (“Alex Serna”), Josué Martínez Contreras and, subsequently, Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas, alongside Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, whose July killing was also documented by RSF.
The violence has affected journalists working across several Mexican states, with Veracruz, Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca among the areas where killings have occurred.
The cases also demonstrate a range of subjects that can place local journalists at risk. Reporters and media workers have investigated corruption, organized crime, environmental issues, public spending, local government, and alleged abuses by authorities.
For journalists working outside major national newsrooms, these risks can be particularly acute. Local reporters are often deeply embedded in the communities they cover and may have limited access to security resources, legal support or institutional protection.
Several of the recent cases raise serious questions about whether authorities are doing enough to respond when journalists report threats.
Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, a veteran journalist from Oaxaca, was killed on July 22. One year earlier, he had formally reported receiving death threats. According to RSF, Leyva filed a complaint with the Oaxaca State Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office in July 2025 and later filed a criminal complaint with the federal Attorney General’s Office. He linked the threats to criticism of his journalistic work and to a smear campaign against him.
Despite these warnings, Leyva did not receive protective measures. RSF reported that the federal investigation into his threats was transferred to the Oaxaca state prosecutor’s office, which did not acknowledge receipt of the case file until four months after the original complaint.
The case is particularly concerning because Leyva had spent nearly three decades working in journalism. He previously directed Oaxaca’s public television and radio network, CORTV, and later published political commentary through his column El Zumbido del Moscardón. The day before his death, he published a column critical of Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara and members of his administration.
Ricardo Zúñiga’s killing presents another example of a journalist publicly warning about threats before being murdered. His May warning that he had been told to stop publishing critical material came less than four months before his death.
Protection mechanisms under scrutiny
The killings have renewed criticism of Mexico’s mechanisms for protecting journalists and human rights defenders.
Luis Ángel López Valdez, who was murdered in Veracruz on June 11, had been enrolled in the state’s protection scheme. Carlos Castro, who was killed in January, had previously been placed under a state protection mechanism after receiving threats. However, those measures were suspended in 2024 after authorities concluded that the risk had diminished.
For press freedom organizations, these cases raise a fundamental question: what is the value of a protection mechanism if authorities fail to identify continuing risks or respond effectively to new threats?
CPJ has called for all cases involving murdered journalists to be handled at the federal level, arguing that local investigations have repeatedly failed to produce accountability. The organization has also urged Mexico’s federal authorities to improve coordination between federal and state institutions and strengthen protective measures for journalists.
CPJ has identified impunity as one of the main factors encouraging continued violence against the press. Its research found that of 166 journalist and media-worker killings in Mexico since 1992, 97 remain classified as having an unconfirmed motive. The organization also reported that no case involving a murdered or disappeared journalist in this century has resulted in convictions of both the masterminds and perpetrators.
Mexico remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists
The recent killings come against a broader backdrop of persistent violence against the Mexican press.
RSF currently records eight journalists killed in Mexico in 2026, including Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas. The organization says this amounts to approximately one journalist killed every month this year. Mexico ranks 122nd out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index and 160th for journalist safety.
RSF has also warned that collusion between local authorities and organized crime poses a serious threat to journalists and can weaken the judicial system. Journalists reporting on sensitive political and criminal issues, particularly at the local level, face threats, attacks, abductions and murder.
The consequences extend far beyond the journalists who are directly attacked. When reporters are threatened or killed, other journalists may avoid covering certain subjects, communities may lose access to independent information, and powerful actors can operate with less scrutiny.
This creates a chilling effect that undermines the public’s right to know.
Free Press Alliance strongly condemns the killings of journalists in Mexico and expresses solidarity with the families, colleagues, and communities of those who have lost their lives.
Journalists must be able to investigate corruption, crime report, scrutinize public officials, and inform their communities without facing threats, violence, or death. The murder of a journalist is not only an attack on an individual; it is an attack on the public’s right to information and on the foundations of a free society.
The continued killing of journalists cannot become normalized. A country cannot guarantee freedom of expression while journalists are forced to choose between reporting the truth and protecting their lives.