Fleeing Danger for a Better Life? A Social-ecological Study of Internally Displaced Journalists in Mexico

ABSTRACT

The study of forced internal displacement (FID) frequently focuses on the personal effects of structural violence. However, the targeted victimization of members of risky occupations is less studied, neglecting the importance of professional factors in mediating people's experiences of displacement. Based on 20 in-depth interviews, this study uses a social-ecological approach to explore the challenges and experiences of journalists living under forced internal displacement in Mexico City, analyzing the multiple hardships journalists face in their resettlement processes at macro-structural, meso-professional, and micro-individual levels. Findings show that the most relevant aspects of the journalists’ experiences are family, economic and psychological concerns at the individual level; the partial or total disenfranchisement of journalistic practice, professional demotion and deskilling at the meso-level; and the general distrust of government programs at the structural level. We conclude that displaced journalists, already victimized by occupational violence, become even more vulnerable and suffer from specific profession-related hardships on top of the challenges that usually afflict displaced populations. Journalists suffer from unique and isolated forms of displacement. We call for more studies that explore the professional traits and conditions of victimized members of risky occupations to account for their overall experiences of displacement and resettlement.

KEYWORDS:

• Forced internal displacement
• journalists’ safety
• occupational risk
• occupational violence
• Mexican journalism
• anti-press violence

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the participating journalists for their time and trust. We are also thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback. This research followed the ethical protocols for human subjects and sensitive information implemented by our university’s Research Ethics Council.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Figure provided in a press release by the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists of Mexico’s Home Ministry (Secretaría de Gobernación), January 4th, 2022. https://www.gob.mx/defensorasyperiodistas/articulos/dia-nacional-de-la-persona-periodista-en-mexico-291800

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Research Division, Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City [Basic research grant 2020–2022]; and by the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) through a graduate scholarship 2018–2020.