Foreign Policy Blogs

Writers to Wrestle with Mexico Drama in Forum

Crosspost from the Media and Foreign Affairs Blog

Some heavy hitters will be in New York City from all over the world on Tuesday, October 19 to discuss the crisis for journalists in Mexico:

When: Tueday, October 19
Where: The Great Hall Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, New York City
What time: 7 p.m.


With readings by Paul AusterDon DeLilloLaura EsquivelFrancine ProseJose Zamora, and poets Víctor Manuel Mendiola and Luis Miguel Aguilar

Followed by a conversation with Carmen Aristegui (CNN en Español), Rocio Gallegos (El Diario de Juárez), and José Luis Martínez (Milenio Diario); moderated by Julia Preston (The New York Times)

Tickets: $15/$10 for PEN Members and students with valid ID. Visitwww.smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444. Tickets also available at the door. Seating is by general admission, on a first-come, first-served basis.

http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5242/prmID/1873

According to PEN’s website:


An Evening in Solidarity with Mexican Journalists

At least eight journalists have been murdered in Mexico in 2010 alone, and many more have been kidnapped, threatened, or disappeared. Still, in towns and cities throughout the country, journalists are daily defying Mexico’s “censorship by bullet” to expose critical truths. Renowned Mexican and American journalists and authors come together for an evening of readings and conversation to call attention to the silencing of Mexican journalists trying to investigate drug-related violence in their country, especially on the U.S./Mexico border.

What is the impact of soaring drug-related violence on freedom of expression and civil society in Mexico? Is the United States helping to promote or to counter the violence? What can human rights organizations and the international community do to confront criminal syndicates and other “non-state actors” that are operating with impunity in Mexico and around the world? Above all, what is it like to be a journalist in Mexico today, and what must be done to ensure that journalists can safely carry out their work?

Co-presented by PEN American Center, the PEN Club de México, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Co-sponsored by The Cooper Union and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

 

Author

Sean Goforth

Sean H. Goforth is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His research focuses on Latin American political economy and international trade. Sean is the author of Axis of Unity: Venezuela, Iran & the Threat to America.