Journalists Union Proposes Law to Protect Reporters in Quintana Roo Amid Rising Violence

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The Union of Journalists and Digital Media of Quintana Roo (UPDQROO) has submitted a proposed state law to the XVIII Legislature of the state Congress aimed at protecting journalists, ensuring their professional rights, and improving their social welfare amid escalating violence and threats against the press in Mexico.

The initiative was delivered to the legislative office by UPDQROO President Ricardo Torres Ojeda, accompanied by journalists from several municipalities, including Héctor Cobá Romero from Benito Juárez, Benjamín Arias Acosta from Playa del Carmen, Edgar Pérez from Felipe Carrillo Puerto, and Mayra Sierra, Mauro de los Santos, and Héctor Tenorio from Chetumal.

The proposal seeks to create a state-level legal framework to recognize, guarantee, and comprehensively protect the professional, labor, and security rights of journalists, particularly those working independently.

Currently, journalist protection in Mexico relies primarily on the federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, operated by the Ministry of the Interior. However, UPDQROO members argue that federal procedures are often too slow to address imminent risks, especially in states where threats, intimidation, or attacks require immediate responses.

The organization contends that Quintana Roo lacks its own legislation to activate state-level protection protocols when a journalist faces danger due to their reporting. If approved, the law would establish local mechanisms to handle threats, attacks, and intimidation, and create a specialized institutional structure to support the sector.

The proposal also includes a social welfare component, providing access to medical coverage, housing programs for independent journalists, ongoing training, professional development, and improved working conditions for communicators in the state.

Torres Ojeda said the need for such legislation responds to a reality that cannot be ignored, marked by attacks on journalists across the country and cases in which reporters have had to temporarily leave their homes due to work-related threats.

He also called for the creation of a state journalism registry, arguing it would help identify professional journalists and prevent people outside the profession from using the title to engage in practices that undermine media credibility.

The initiative comes as national and international organizations continue to warn about the risks journalists face in Mexico, which has long been considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalism outside formally recognized armed conflict zones.

In Quintana Roo, the discussion is particularly relevant given recent episodes of violence. Coverage of public security, organized crime, corruption, and accountability has placed journalists in vulnerable situations.

The proposal aims to strengthen guarantees for the free exercise of journalism, a fundamental activity for transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to information.