LET’STURNAPPRECIATIONINTO ACTION

BY ERINSIEGALMCINTYRE

Nearly 10 yearsago,the AmericanwriterMichelle García and Mexican reporter IgnacioAlvaradoAlvarezpublished a searing reported essay that examinedthe exploding caninepopulationofCiudad Juárez,looking at what happened to dogs duringthecity’s peak violence.Attimes,their piece noted, we needonlypause to noticetheanimalsaroundus to fully grasp justhow frayed thesocial contracthasbecome

Thesixhazy daysbetween the assassinationsof Margarito “4-4 MartinezandLourdes MaldonadoinTijuanadidn’t provideenoughtimefor reality to sink in betweenkillings.The press continued reportingthe news,cloakedinpolishedprofessionalismandunable to pause.

And as collective disbelief meltedinto uneasy comprehension, a photographlitupsocial media feeds.It wasa simple image takenbyphotographer Yolanda Moralesoutside Maldonado’s home. Init theslain journalist’s dog,Chato,lies at the doorasifin wait. Yellow crime scenetapesurrounds the frontyard.ElPaís columnist JacoboGarcíadescribedit,in part,as a portraitofan“abandoned profession.”

Thepress organized, yet again.Thistime,themarch wasn’toutside La Antigua, asit was inRosarito backin2017 after Luciano RiveraSalgado, 29 was shotinthehead.Andit wasn’t a demonstrationwhere we stoodfor a national periodof silence, as we did in frontofan armyofsmallpaintedcrosses bytheborder wallinColonia Libertadafter thekillings in 2012 Again, we turned to the statistics aboutthe Mexican pressthathumiliate uswith theirstark impotence and relentlessabstraction:atleast 467 journalists underfederal protection; a journalistattacked roughly every 10.75 hours,a third ofall journalists killed worldwide in2021, 15 journalistsdisappearedwho remainmissing. A 45percent spike inattacks onthemedia workersbetween2019 and2020. Astunning95percentofthe killings since2011 stillunsolved. Butasmediaprofessionals andmembers of a sprawling cross-border community, we mustseizemeaning.Our veneerofemotionaldistance cannotdrive thenarrative ina way thatunderscores importance We must resist.

AsTijuana’s Gabriela Martínez toldNPR witha steadyeloquenceandpoise that reducedme totearsinmy kitchen whileour colleagues cannolonger continuetheir work we can.It’s ourhonorand responsibility Letuspourourappreciationinto action. To start,don’tsuccumb to thepaceofthenewscycle. Instead pitch continuing coverage to youroutlet.Ifa bossoreditorpushesbackwith “no onecaresaboutwhathappens to journalists except other journalists,”aslongtime AP Mexico City bureau chief KathyCorcorannotedlast week,be ready to educate.In fact,passthem a copyofCorcoran’s piece Coveringthe “what next” withrigorand excellence is a choice,andit’s up to each of us to ignite those conversationsinournewsrooms Worriedaboutclicks? Use thedog photo— justmake sure the photographer ispaid,andpaid equitably.

To engage inthe “rarestand purestformof generosity,” as Simone Weilputit,issimple: Decide to pay attention.

Second, we canpushfor collaboration,anddraw inspiration from recentaccomplishments. Working together deepensour reporting,broadensour reach,andmaximizes our resources.Thebinational collective ElColectivo 23 de Marzo followed theaftermath ofthe killing of La Jornada’s MiroslavaBreach. “TheCartel Project,” a five-part seriesby60 reporters,publishedin2020 across25outlets worldwide, investigatedthe2012 murder of Proceso correspondent Regina Martínezin Veracruz.

Third, as Marcela Turati statedin a powerful keynote speech atoneoftheannual Investigative Reportersand Editors conferences,when Americansthinkaboutthe dangers Mexican journalists face,it’s not “justabouthelping us,it’s abouthelping yourselves as well.”Organizedcrime operatesacrossborders. Powerful people frequently hold dual citizenship,andwhathappens inone country affectstheother.

Electedofficials verbally degradethepress inboth countries;ideasplantedbydisinformationcampaignsdripinto public discourseonbothsides. We can financiallysupport professional organizationslike Periodistas a Pie,Article 19, the Committeeto Protect JournalistsandReporters Without Borders(ReportersSansFrontiéres or RSF),furtheringtheir work We canencourage the U.S. government to sustain ongoinginitiativesatthe U.S. AgencyforInternational Development(USAID) that provide crucialbackingfornongovern- mentalorganizations working onpress freedomin Mexico and beyond.

Fourth,forthosewho teach journalism, we candiscuss positionality, openlyand frankly. What are our responsibilities to colleaguesinsideour newsroom? Whataboutbeyondourborders?

Why?The internsare the change agents. It’s not hyperbole to saythey embodyourhopefor a better future. We mustmustempower them,helpthem realize just how much isatstake,and underscore how necessary their voicesare.

Finally we canraisethebar when it comes to professionalisminforeign reportingby U.S journalists,insisting on theuse ofmore accurate termslike “producer or “reporter” insteadof“fixer.”Advocate for fairpay Share yourbylineand give creditwhere it’s due,be transparentabout yourday rate withothersstringingfor thesamewire or outlet,and start conversations aboutpay disparity. AsAline Corpusof Reforma andmanyothers have noted,creditingpartnersenablesvisibility. If co-produced work endsupwinning journalism awards,nooneisleft outof thecelebration.Thatmight soundtrite,butit’s crucial when it comes to findingthe strengthneeded tokeep going andbuilding collective resilience.

Every small joy helpsthwart despair inthefaceofsuch abjecthorror. We’re alive, yes, but we’re onlyasstrongasour collectiveresilience.

SiegalMcIntyre isaninvestigative journalist,authorandprofessor of journalism at the University of North Carolina at ChapelHill.Shelivedand workedin Tijuanafrom2010-2019.

Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong

Executive Chairman

Jeff Light Publisher and Editor Lora Cicalo

Managing Editor Matthew T. Hall Editorial and OpinionDirector