Miami.- The Inter American Press Society (SIP) successfully concluded the first edition of a project to establish security protocols, which in this case was applied to Mexican journalists from a dozen media outlets, the organization reported this Tuesday.
The Safer Newsrooms (R+S) project began at the 2023 IAPA general assembly, held in Mexico City, and included the participation of journalists and editors from 16 media outlets in the interior of Mexico that were “in a situation of vulnerability to the violence of organized crime,” as noted in a statement.
The basis of the project, which has the support of the Google News Initiative, is to provide journalists who carry out their work in hostile environments with the tools and training that allow them to create their own security protocols, adapted to their local reality.
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Over eight months, participants received training on issues ranging from risk assessment, gender perspective and even protection against cyber attacks.
According to the IAPA, “nine Mexican media outlets are currently in the process of completing their protocols,” among which is the newspaper El Sol de Tampico, whose new security measures include “clear communication channels, protection of staff information, risk analysis on coverage and constant monitoring of the location of its reporters.
Another participant was the television station ADN 40, which took advantage of the presidential elections in Mexico, held this year, and developed a security guide for electoral coverage based on the lessons learned from the workshops given within the framework of this program.
“The positive results of this project encourage us to extend it to other regions in contexts of growing violence from organized crime and drug trafficking,” IAPA president José Roberto Dutriz said in the statement.
The also president and general director of La Prensa Gráfica, of El Salvador, highlighted that the safety and protection of journalists are fundamental to guarantee freedom of the press and promote the independence of the media.
For his part, the head of News Alliances for Latin America at Google, Rodrigo Bonilla, highlighted that “the fight against disinformation also involves offering newsrooms that operate in challenging security contexts the necessary technological tools and training that allow them to continue covering the reality of their communities.
The other media participating in the first edition of this initiative were El Imparcial, from Sonora; Diario del Sur, from Chiapas; ADN, from Mexico City; El Sol, from Durango and Coahuila; AM, from León; The Sun, from Chihuahua; Yucatan Diary; and Zeta, from Baja California.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas.
It is made up of more than 1,300 publications from the Western Hemisphere and is headquartered in Miami (United States).
