Mexican Journalist Discusses Struggle In Drug War Reporting

More than 100 journalists have been killed covering the drug war in Mexico in the past decade. Dozens more have disappeared.

But that hasn’t stopped investigative journalist Marcela Turati from seeking the truth.

It is a reporting assignment she didn't choose.

"One day I had like 30 mothers who were looking for their sons who disappeared. And they asked me to interview them," Turati said. "At that moment I realized that I have to do it."

She said there were not many journalists covering the situation at the time. She thought she was unprepared for the job but also felt the need to find out what was happening to the victims of drug violence.

She lives in Mexico City and that makes it easier to report on the drug violence. Turati said she can cover an event and then return home. Other journalists who live in areas where violence occurs have to be more careful.

Turati said covering the drug war is like being in quicksand.

"You don't know who you are interviewing," she said. "You don't know if the mayor or police chief you are talking to is colluding with criminal organizations."

Turati reports for Proceso, and is founder of Periodistas a Pie, or Journalists on Foot. The organization aims to raise the quality of journalism in Mexico.

As part of International Women’s Day, Turati will speak Tuesday at the University of San Diego about the ongoing struggle facing journalists in Mexico, with an emphasis on female journalists.

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