Eight journalists faced threats, beatings, gunfire aimed at their vehicles and theft of their equipment while covering the narco-blockades and clashes that erupted after the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," on February 22 in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) documented the cases and placed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) on its 2026 list of "predators of press freedom," published Monday to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
- Eight communicators attacked: the assaults occurred in Jalisco, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato and Michoacán during coverage of the operation and its aftermath.
- The CJNG, flagged by RSF: the organization accuses the cartel of using threats, kidnappings and violence to intimidate the press and control information in territories under its influence.
- Violence figures: since 2006, 169 journalists have been murdered in Mexico, and 24 of the 43 reported missing between 2006 and 2026 remain unlocated.
Attacks during coverage of the operation
According to RSF's tally, reporters following the blockades and the clashes between the cartel and state forces were attacked by members of the criminal organization. The abuses included shots fired at their cars, beatings, theft of cameras and phones, and serious threats.
In Jalisco, reporter Otoniel Martínez of Azteca Noticias reported that the vehicle carrying him and his team was shot at during coverage, though no one was injured. In the same state, journalist Lupita Martínez of Vallarta Al Momento was robbed of her car at gunpoint while covering the events.
In Sinaloa, journalists Belizario Reyes and Juvencio Villanueva of Noroeste were attacked while reporting; the outlet told RSF both were beaten and stripped of their work equipment. In Tamaulipas, Guadalupe Castorena of El Mañana de Reynosa was robbed of his vehicle and gear while following the blockades.
The Reynosa case extended to the reporter's family. Jesús Humberto González of Cambio Press was briefly detained by organized crime members at a checkpoint, where he and his relatives accompanying him were threatened when he stopped to record. He was released hours later but told RSF he suffered physical assault.
In Guanajuato, colleagues of Ian Martínez of Correo told the organization that men in a pickup truck threatened him and ordered him to stop covering the events. In Michoacán, RSF verified an eighth case: a journalist who requested anonymity for security reasons received an anonymous call threatening him not to publish information about what happened.
The CJNG and its record against the press
RSF stressed that local journalists investigating organized crime, corruption and links between criminal groups and authorities are the most exposed. Regarding the CJNG, the organization warned that, like other cartels, it uses intimidation to control what is disseminated in the areas where it operates.
"Like other cartels, the CJNG resorts to threats, kidnappings and violence to intimidate journalists and control the information circulating in the territories under its influence," RSF charged.
The organization also recalled a video released in August 2021 in which alleged cartel members told Mexican media that their actions had nothing to do with press freedom. The quote RSF recovered was: "I am not against freedom of expression, but against those who attack me directly."
A toll of violence that does not let up
RSF's data paint a severe picture for journalism in Mexico. Since 2006, 169 journalists have been homicide victims, of whom 98% were local reporters and at least 34 were tortured before death. The organization attributes these crimes mainly to organized crime and corruption: 100 of the victims worked on crime or police matters, and 78 covered mainly political news.
Disappearances add to the killings: of 43 journalists reported missing between 2006 and 2026, 24 remain unaccounted for. RSF links these cases to both the CJNG and other cartels.
The 2026 edition of the "predators of press freedom" list brought together 33 figures and organizations in five categories. In the security category, alongside the Mexican cartels, appear the Israeli armed forces, the Chinese Communist Party and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. For the first time, U.S. President Donald Trump was included, with RSF citing a record of attacks on the press in less than two years of his second term that placed the United States 64th in the World Press Freedom Index. In the social category, Argentine President Javier Milei stood out, with the organization documenting more than 1,600 posts against the press on his X account in just 47 days, between April and May 2026.
The designation against the CJNG comes at a time when violence against communicators continues without forceful responses. The impunity surrounding most cases, RSF warns, not only punishes victims and their families but also sends a message of risk to those covering organized crime in regions where cartels impose their rules.