In many of the mainstream reports of the migrant caravan with thousands of people wending its way to the United States through Mexico, media focuses on mothers and children and stories about the people just wanting a better life in the United States. And there is no doubt that that’s what most of them want. But many in mainstream media have disparaged any concerns legitimately raised about the caravan, seeking to cast those concerns as somehow invalid or as somehow indicative of being against immigrants.
But check out the warnings their own organization is giving journalists who may be going to cover the caravan.
Here’s what the Committee to Protect Journalists is advising reporters.
Thousands of migrants that are part of a caravan that departed San Pedro Sula in Honduras for the U.S. on October 13, 2018, are currently in southern Mexico. As the caravan attempts to cross Mexico, the risk increases for any journalists accompanying it.
Based on previous caravans, numbers may dwindle and individuals may take different routes to get to the U.S. However, migrants can be vulnerable to criminals and cartels–who kidnap, extort, and force vulnerable groups into prostitution and illegal activities–as well as law enforcement and migration officials. Human traffickers known as “Coyotes” are likely to be in close proximity to the caravan. The risk of physical violence and rape is high for migrants. Journalists accompanying them, particularly the local press, are potentially also exposed.
