Attacks on journalists soar in Mexico

Attacks against journalists and news organizations soared by 59 percent in Mexico last year, with 330 cases reported for the most violent year since 2007, a media rights group said Tuesday. The London-based Article 19 organization said the media face an act of aggression every 26.5 hours in Mexico. The number of attacks against journalists, media workers and facilities of news organizations rose from 207 in 2012 to 330 in 2013. Nearly 90 percent of the attacks were against individuals. Article 19 said public officials were behind six in 10 attacks. The report came after a weekend break-in at the house of the media rights group's director for Mexico and Central America, Dario Ramirez, whose computer and documents were stolen. Article 19 said 2013 was the most violent for journalists since drug-related violence began to rise in 2007, when then president Felipe Calderon launched a military crackdown against organized crime. President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in December 2012, has vowed to combat crime against journalists, but attacks rose during his first full year in office. Mexico has become one of the most dangerous places for journalists, with 87 media workers killed since 2000. Most of the crimes remain unsolved.