Northern Mexico newspaper says no drug coverage
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A newspaper in the northern Mexico border state of Coahuila announced Monday it will no longer cover information related to drug cartels, citing safety concerns.
The newspaper Zocalo publishes in the Coahuila state capital, Saltillo.
In a front-page editorial posted on its web site, the newspaper said the decision “is based on our responsibility to watch out for the safety and security of over 1,000 workers, their families and our own.”
The decision came after a printed banner of the kind frequently used by drug cartels was found last week with a message threatening a violent reprisal against the paper’s director.
The banner, full of misspellings, was signed by “42,” an apparent reference to a top member of the Zetas drug gang.
Several newspapers in northern Mexico have made the same decision implicitly or explicitly.
The Inter-American Press Association says 127 journalists have been attacked in Mexico over the last 12 years.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 03-11-13 1535EDT
