Reportero follows a veteran reporter and his colleagues at Semanario Zeta, a Tijuana-based independent newsweekly, as they stubbornly ply their trade in one of the deadliest places in the world for members of the media. In Mexico, more than 50 journalists have been slain or have vanished since December 2006, when former President Felipe Calderón came to power and launched a government offensive against the country's powerful drug cartels and organized crime.
As the drug war intensifies, the risks to journalists increase. So, too, does the need for independent reporting. The film powerfully explores the experience of reporters who attempt to meet that need, challenging viewers to acknowledge the risk and also the importance of credible reporting to the well-being of individual communities and democracy in general. The result is an extraordinary springboard for conversations about the potential impact of a free press silenced.
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