Two years of President Sheinbaum in Mexico: fewer than a third of her pledges on press freedom fulfilled, almost all of it insufficiant

On 21 October, during a RSF mission to Mexico led by its Director General Thibaut Bruttin met Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez to present an assessment of the first two years of Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency, based on the 22 commitments she made to RSF in 2024.

The analysis highlights the persistence of violence against the press, with 18 journalists killed during Sheinbaum's first two years in office, as well as the lack of verifiable implementation of preventive policies in high-risk areas and the absence of substantial progress on protecting news workers and combating impunity. The progress identified includes training public officials on protection measures and the repeal of the offence of defamation in the state of Zacatecas.

In light of these findings, Mexico's Interior Secretary acknowledged delays in implementing the commitments made to RSF and reaffirmed the government's determination to accelerate their implementation. In the presence of Ruth Zenteno López, head of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), and Tobyanne Ledesma Rivera, Director General of the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, the interior secretary called for progress on two priorities. First, she requested that FEADLE conduct a case-by-case review of murdered journalists' cases to identify obstacles to solving them and advance the fight against impunity. Second, she called for speeding up the decentralisation of journalist protection policies by strengthening the capacity of individual states to respond to threats.

The fight against impunity was also central to a meeting with Mexico's Attorney General, Ernestina Godoy, who made two concrete commitments to RSF: to strengthen training for public prosecutors on press freedom issues, particularly at the state level, and to place the issue on the agenda of a 2027 session of the Conference of Attorneys General, which brings together the heads of prosecution services from Mexico's 32 federal entities.

An assessment revealing a lack of structural progress

RSF's analysis shows that the progress made during the first two years of Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency has not been sufficient to bring about meaningful change in the conditions for journalists in Mexico. Over the past 20 years, Mexico has seen the longest-running wave of journalists murdered a country at peace. Of the 22 commitments assessed, only one showed positive progress, five saw insufficient progress, ten showed no verifiable substantive progress, two were marked by institutional regression and four could not be assessed due to insufficient information.

Key commitments include:

• On protecting journalists' lives and physical safety: no substantial improvements to the Federal Protection Mechanism have been documented.

National meetings of the authorities responsible for the protection of humans rights defenders and journalists, held in August 2025 and September 2026, were positive initiatives to strengthen coordination between federal and state institutions, but did not lead to structural changes. The continued attacks on journalists, including murders after victims had reported threats, show that institutional coordination has yet to translate into an effective preventive response. Although the Mechanism's budget increased by approximately 6.7% in nominal terms between 2025 and 2026, the main progress identified was the training of state-level officials, with 386 public servants receiving training on preventive protection measures.

• Prioritising the protection of the right to information: although President Sheinbaum has condemned some journalist murders, public statements disparaging media outlets and journalists critical of her administration have continued.

No sustained strategy to promote a culture of respect for journalism has been identified. Meanwhile, the closure of the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) in December 2024, and the transfer of its responsibilities to a new institution linked to the executive branch, have weakened guarantees for independence concerning public information.

• Combating impunity remains a major challenge.

Between July 2010 and June 2026, the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) opened 1,909 investigations into offences against journalists, but only 53 resulted in convictions. Of these, just 11 concerned journalist murders. According to RSF data, 99% of journalist murders remain unsolved in full. In 168 of the 169 cases documented, neither the person who ordered the killing nor the motive behind the crime has been identified. The rate of full resolution is therefore less than 1%. In its report to the Sheinbaum administration, RSF also raised concerns about the declining number of prosecutors and public officials specialising in press freedom, as well as the dismantling of the organisational structure that had been in place until early 2026.

• Finally, the government has undertaken no substantial legislative reform to repeal, at federal level, problematic criminal provisions that could be used to restrict press freedom and encourage journalists to self-censor.

One of the few tangible advances was the repeal of the offence of defamation in the state of Zacatecas, approved on 16 September 2026.