New Director of Article 19 Mexico and CentAm Seeks to Generate 'Empathy' for Journalists Silvia Higuera and Teresa Mioli - Journalism in the Americas
go to original July 2, 2016

Ana Ruelas, new director of Article 19 Mexico and Central America (Más de 131)

The task in front of Ana María Ruelas, the new director of the Article 19 Mexico and Central America office, will not be simple. In what is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous places to be a journalist, she leads a team that fights daily for basic freedoms for communicators: access to information, protection from bodily harm and guarantees to freely carry out their work.

Ruelas, who took over her new post on May 5, oversees a team of 23 people in Mexico City and a larger network of consultants across the country. She is a lawyer and previously worked as an officer for the organization’s Program for Right to Information.

In conversation with the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, Ruelas detailed her plans for continuing with the work of the organization, which prioritizes working for laws that do not restrict freedom of expression or access to information and for guarantees to protect journalists.

According to Ruelas, when the Article 19 team sees legislation proposed that relates to freedom of expression or the right to information, they seek to participate in the process, whether directly in the legislature or by making legal or political actions related to the law.

This political or legal participation consists of appeals for legal protection against the laws, actions of unconstitutionality against institutions or the creation of alliances with other organizations working to deal with such laws.

“The part of analysis and legislative advocacy is a very strong priority for Article 19, but it is always developed along with other groups of organizations for two reasons. First, because we believe that our voice alone will not lead to legislative change, that’s one issue, and second, as a matter of plurality in ideas and decisions that we are promoting,” Ruelas explained.

But without a doubt, one of the areas requiring a great deal of work from this office is the protection of journalists. The organization recorded 397 attacks, including seven murders, of journalists in 2015. Whatsmore, the organization found that 46.9 percent of assaults on journalists in the past seven years have come from a public servant.

In this regard, as Ruelas noted, the organization documents the daily reality of the country’s press. And while there is a federal protection mechanism for journalists and human rights defenders, freedom of expression experts, journalists and multilateral organizations have repeatedly criticized its efficacy.

Read the rest at Journalism in the Americas | Lea en Español

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