Former Journalists: A Permanent Target Even After Leaving the Media

By Jossalberto Briceno Saenz

Official narratives insist that attacks against journalists are solely linked to the active exercise of the profession. However, the facts reveal a much harsher reality: former journalists, those who have left their newsrooms, cameras, and broadcast studios, continue to be pursued and killed. The threat does not disappear with the resignation from a formal position; on the contrary, the risk often increases when journalists are outside the minimal protection provided by a media outlet.

Prominent Cases of Journalists Who Died After Leaving a Formal Position

Rubén Espinosa — July 31, 2015 (Mexico City).
Photojournalist and contributor to Proceso and Cuartoscuro. He fled Veracruz due to threats, leaving his work environment behind. Just weeks after leaving that “safe” environment, he was killed in Mexico City (El País, 2015)[1].

Leobardo Vázquez Atzin — March 22–23, 2018 (Veracruz).
He had worked in local media, but due to threats and lack of opportunities, he left formal positions and worked selling tacos. He was murdered at his home while performing that activity (The Guardian, 2018)[2].

María Guadalupe “Lourdes” Maldonado López — January 23, 2022 (Tijuana, Baja California).
Journalist with extensive experience in television and radio (Televisa, PSN). In her final years, she no longer had the backing of major media and worked independently, including digital streaming. She had publicly reported threats and sought protection. She was killed outside her home (Committee to Protect Journalists [CPJ], 2022[3]; Infobae, 2022[4]; El País, 2022[5]; Milenio, 2022[6]; ARTICLE 19, 2022[7]).

These cases illustrate a pattern: the risk does not disappear when a journalist leaves a media outlet; vulnerability multiplies.

The New Wave of Killings Under the Current Presidency

With the arrival of Mexico’s new president Claudia Sheinbaum (October 2024), violence against journalists has not ceased. Between October 1, 2024, and September 14, 2025, there were 10 confirmed journalist killings:

1. Mauricio Cruz Solís — October 29–30, 2024, Uruapan, Michoacán (Reuters, 2024)[8].

2. Patricia Ramírez González — October 30, 2024, registered by the UNESCO Observatory (UNESCO, 2024)[9].

3. Adriano Bachega (Adriano Bachega Olvera) — December 3, 2024, Monterrey, Nuevo León; Argentine naturalized journalist (Infobae, 2024)[10].

4. Calletano de Jesús Guerrero — January 17, 2025, State of Mexico (La Jornada, 2025)[11].

5. Alejandro Gallegos León — January 24–25, 2025, Cárdenas, Tabasco (El País, 2025)[12].

6. Jesús Alberto Camacho Rodríguez — February 20, 2025, remains identified in Culiacán (UNESCO, 2025)[13].

7. Kristian Uriel Martínez Zavala (Kristian Zavala) — March 2, 2025, Silao, Guanajuato (Reporters Without Borders [RSF], 2025)[14].

8. José Carlos González Herrera — May 15, 2025, Acapulco, Guerrero (RSF, 2025[15]; UNESCO, 2025[16]).

9. Ronald Paz Pedro — July 9, 2025, Guerrero (Artículo 19, 2025)[17].

10. Salomón Ordóñez Miranda — UNESCO statement, July 17, 2025 (UNESCO, 2025)[18].

This list confirms that, even with a change in government, the protection system remains weak and insufficient.

I will finish this article by saying that every time I call Mexico, I am violently reminded of why I left in the first place. In recent months, I have repeatedly tried to reach former classmates from my university journalism courses and even some of my professors. Let me tell you: it is nearly impossible for them to pick up the phone. And the excuse is always the same—fear. Fear of the relentless violence that has gripped their country.

Everything they tell me sounds like a scene ripped straight out of a war movie. They are terrified that my call could be intercepted or that it could come from the very people who are threatening them. The most shocking case is Guillermo García—on his newscast at 89.1 La Mejor and as Director of the Communication Sciences program at ULSAB University. Multiple times, he has refused my calls, paralyzed by fear that they could be threats aimed at him.

Just hearing my name seems enough. I get the sense that the moment they see it on their phone, that alone is reason enough not to answer. This fear has cost me friendships; people who once were close no longer dare to have any contact with me.

This is the harsh reality: journalists in Mexico live in constant terror. Every call, every conversation, every connection is shadowed by the threat of violence. And that is why I left—and why the ones left behind are still trapped in a nightmare.

Conclusion

Journalism in Mexico has become a high-risk profession that does not end with resigning from a newsroom. The cases of Rubén Espinosa, Leobardo Vázquez, and Lourdes Maldonado show that former journalists remain targets, that threats are real, and that leaving a formal media position does not guarantee safety.

The real problem lies in two factors:

1. The face of power — Politicians, drug traffickers, and businesspeople who will not tolerate losing prestige or “losing face” in front of public opinion.

2. Corruption and complicity — In some cases, other reporters or colleagues facilitated the location of victims, exposing their new workplaces or residences.

From my perspective, good journalists in Mexico are today either dead or in hiding. And most alarming: even leaving a formal media outlet does not guarantee escape from danger.

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References

1. El País. (2015, August 1). Photographer Rubén Espinosa murdered in Mexico City. El País.

2. The Guardian. (2018, March). Mexican journalist Leobardo Vázquez murdered.

3. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). (2022). Mexico: Lourdes Maldonado killed.

4. Infobae. (2022). The murder of Lourdes Maldonado.

5. El País. (2022). Chronicle of Lourdes Maldonado’s assassination.

6. Milenio. (2022). Lourdes Maldonado had reported threats.

7. ARTICLE 19. (2022). Report on journalist threats and murders in Mexico.

8. Reuters. (2024, October). Journalist Mauricio Cruz killed in Uruapan, Michoacán.

9. UNESCO. (2024). Statement on the killing of Patricia Ramírez González.

10. Infobae. (2024, December). Journalist Adriano Bachega murdered in Monterrey.

11. La Jornada. (2025, January). Calletano de Jesús Guerrero killed in State of Mexico.

12. El País. (2025, January). Journalist Alejandro Gallegos León killed in Tabasco.

13. UNESCO. (2025, February). Remains of Jesús Alberto Camacho identified in Culiacán.

14. Reporters Without Borders (RSF). (2025, March). Kristian Zavala killed in Guanajuato.

15. Reporters Without Borders (RSF). (2025, May). José Carlos González Herrera killed in Guerrero.

16. UNESCO. (2025, May). Statement on José Carlos González Herrera’s murder in Acapulco.

17. Artículo 19. (2025, July). Ronald Paz Pedro killed in Guerrero.

18. UNESCO. (2025, July). Statement on photographer Salomón Ordóñez Miranda.