Have 80 Journalists Been Killed In Mexico Since 2005?

Our weekly check-in with the Texas Truth-O-Meter.
 

By Alain Stephens April 13, 2016 1:33 pm,

Before moderating the Washington Post-Univision Democratic presidential debate on March 9, journalist Jorge Ramos, a Univision news anchor who works out of Miami, met with NPR’s Steve Inskeep to talk about “Take A Stand,” his book recounting his experiences as a journalist. In the interview he claimed that 80 journalists had been killed in Mexico in the last ten years.

Is that a fact? Gardner Selby of the PolitiFact Texas fact-checking team has the answer.

During the interview, Ramos commented on differences between being a reporter in the United States and Latin America. He noted the safety concerns of what it’s like to interview U.S. presidents versus presidents or dictators in Latin American countries.

“When you have 80 journalists who have been killed in Mexico, for instance, in the last decade, yeah, you realize how lucky we are here in the United States in which you can go to the White House, talk to the president and go back to your house,” Ramos said. “And then you can take a bike ride and go to the supermarket and no one is going to kill you. No one is going to do anything against you. That’s a huge difference.”

Hear how Ramos’ claim scored in the player above.