Strategic Allies and the Survival of Critical Media under Repressive Conditions: An Empirical Analysis of Local Mexican Press

Abstract

Why do some newspapers remain critical in contexts of antipress repression while others do not? It has been argued that aggressions against journalists generate a deterrence effect on the watchdog role of the press. However, evidence of the press remaining critical in hostile environments appears to defy this claim. In this paper, I explore the relationship between violent government repression and the critical function of the press. Using an original data set of local Mexican newspapers from 2011 to 2013, I examine the direct effects of violence on front-page headlines. I find that while repression does deter critical coverage, the ultimate effect is contingent upon the configuration of strategic press allies in the locality, reviewed here as nongovernmental organizations, opposition parties, and newspaper publishers.

Explaining the killing of journalists in the contemporary era: The importance of hybrid regimes and subnational variations

“…The spread of hybrid political regimes as liberalization stalled -or backslid -across the last quarter century involved spatial variation in the performance of democratic institutions, including supports for a monitorial press. However, findings from this study and others suggest journalists sometimes resist encroachment on democratic norms (Høiby, 2019;Hughes and Márquez-Ramírez, 2018;Salazar, 2019). Resistance carries potentially far-reaching consequences for politics, g and rights.…”

“…Local media can also help overcome illiberal subnational practices. A process of local democratization can ensue when journalists' investigations are backed by mobilization of local civic organizations or opposition parties (Behrend and Whitehead, 2016b), which in turn may increase journalists' resolve to monitor power and signal abuse (Salazar, 2019). Thus, safeguarding journalists may well safeguard N = 1661.…”

Ejercer el periodismo en entornos violentos: análisis empírico de las zonas de silencio en México

“…A diferencia de lo que generalmente se asume, la presencia de crimen organizado no es una condición suficiente para que la prensa se retraiga y deje de reportar sobre temas de violencia. La prensa, concebida como un actor estratégico (Salazar, 2019;Shoemaker & Reese, 2013, p. 100;Sparrow, 1999), con recursos y capacidades propias, busca seguir realizando su misión por diversas razones. Algunas tienen que ver con la preservación de su función informativa; otras con la rentabilidad financiera.…”

Alianza y recelo en el México de la transición: ¿cómo retrata la prensa local a la sociedad civil a 20 años de la alternancia federal?

“…Es hacia este sector que la prensa muestra más afinidad y otorga de manera más decisiva un foro a sus demandas. Esto coincide con que es la sociedad civil organizada y especializada la que ha mostrado más solidaridad hacia la prensa en condiciones de amenaza o vulnerabilidad, lo que comprueba una relación de reciprocidad: las organizaciones sociales respaldan la labor de la prensa (Salazar, 2019) y al mismo tiempo, la prensa les abre espacio para expresar sus causas, de manera independiente a la narrativa oficial.…”