Reporter Accuses Mexico's President of Endangering Journalists

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador faced allegations from reporter Reyna Ramírez, who claimed she had been harassed by his supporters. Ramírez described an incident in June where she was forced to flee an event as an angry crowd labeled her a "sold out reporter." When asked what he would do to address such hostilities, López Obrador replied, "nothing, nothing, nothing."

The president then lobbed a charged accusation against another journalist, Anabel Hernández, claiming she is a DEA agent or informant. In a country plagued by drug cartel violence, such allegations could be perilous. Since 2000, at least 142 reporters and media workers have been killed in Mexico. Journalists complain of López Obrador's frequent verbal attacks and the online abuse they suffer from his fervent supporters, particularly when they pose challenging questions.

"It's frustrating that the president sees the narcos as part of the people, but sees the journalists who investigate them as the enemy," Hernández said. International press freedom groups, alongside the US State Department and the Organization of American States, have criticized López Obrador's actions, asserting they exacerbate risks for Mexico's already vulnerable journalists. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)