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November 17, 2025 – Mexico –
Independent media professionals covering the nationwide “Generation Z Mexico” protests in Mexico have reported serious attacks and detentions, highlighting the perilous environment for journalists amid large-scale civil unrest. According to the Latin America Journalism Review, at least six journalists were injured during the demonstrations, with the worst incidents occurring in the state capital of Michoacán, Morelia.
The protest movement emerged in response to the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, which triggered months of indignation over rising violence and government inaction. As rallies spread across Mexico—including in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Michoacán—reporters documenting the events found themselves facing aggressive disruptions from security forces. In Morelia, one journalist, Liliana Jiménez Nieto, suffered facial injuries after a confrontation with officers, while photo-journalist Jafet Pineda was reportedly beaten and handcuffed.
The violence arose amid chaotic scenes in which security personnel attempted to control thousands of protesters who were tearing down barricades, battling riot police, and storming government buildings. Although the protests were youth-driven, the status and vulnerability of journalists covering them underscored the precarious overlap between civil unrest and press freedom. The fact that journalists, rather than protesters, became targeted reflects a broader pattern of media suppression in high-tension environments.
Journalists present on the ground noted that many of the assaults occurred when identifiably press-marked individuals ventured into hostile zones or attempted to film confrontations. Observers say the lack of clear safe zones for media coverage, combined with aggressive police tactics, created conditions in which documenting the story became hazardous rather than protected.
For Mexico’s press-freedom community, the attacks reinforce longstanding structural concerns: journalists in the country already operate in one of the most dangerous environments globally, where threats, threats of violence, and actual assaults are part of the occupational risk. The Gen-Z Z protests, while nationally visible for their scale and youth-led character, also reveal how even widely-covered events can escalate into reporting environments where journalists become casualties themselves.
Reference –
At least six journalists injured during ‘Gen-Z’ protests in Mexico
