Colombia has never exactly had the reputation of being the safest country on the planet for reporters.
In fact, after Iraq it accounts for more journalist deaths than any other country in the world.
Part of the reason for that is that journalists have often been targeted for assasination by poeple involved in the drug trade, whether that be traffickers, cartel operators or paramilitary organisations that fund themselves through drugs.
Moreover, most of the deaths of the journalists that are killed are never solved.
The threat that hangs over journalists who dare expose any stories to do with the drug trade, especially those involving tales of official corruption or wel know figures in society, is that they face retribution from those sources.
There is an interesting story today on CNN that tells the story of these reporters.
The sad element of this story is that drugs are such a pervasive element of the politics of the country that the level of press self-censorship would far outweigh a similar problem in a country less involved with the drug trade.
When the money from drugs is enough to sustain a paramilitary insurgency that threatens to topple the government, a counter insurgency that threatens to topple the topplers and enough corrupt politicians and security personel to sink a ship, there is a serious problem for reporters.
Another casuality in the War on Drugs.
Technorati Tags: drugs, colombia, war on drugs