Mexican journalist complains to president of threats

By MARÍA VERZA
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — It was a dramatic moment at the end of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s daily news briefing, when a reporter stood up and said he was afraid for his life. Reporter Rodolfo Montes said with his voice trembling Wednesday that he was afraid the government would withdraw bodyguards assigned to him after he got a threatening telephone call. Montes said the caller claimed to be from the Jalisco drug cartel, but he suspected that wasn’t true. The fear is understandable; so far this year, a dozen reporters have been killed in Mexico, making it the most dangerous country for reporters outside a war zone.