Doc on Mexican Journalists Risking Lives, ‘Reportero,’ to Stream on PBS Through Oct.

‘Reportero’ (2012)

In solidarity with recently slain Mexican photojournalist Rubén Espinosa , PBS has made Reportero , a 2012 documentary on the dangers faced by journalists covering narcotics traffickers and corrupt politicians, available globally for streaming through October 2, 2015.

Espinosa, who was found dead in Mexico City along with four women earlier this month, is the seventh journalist murdered in Mexico in 2015.

Before their deaths it was reported that 84 journalists were killed in Mexico between 2000 and April 2015, according to Article 19 , a press freedom organization.

Directed by Bernardo Ruiz , Reportero follows Sergio Haro , a veteran photojournalist for Zeta, a Tijuana-based weekly newspaper.

Even in the face of constant death threats Zeta’s reporters refuse to censor themselves and routinely publish the names and photos of cartels and corrupt politicians. At the heart of film is Haro’s daily life as a journalist.

Haro tells stories about the perils of journalism in Mexico as he drives to take pictures of grisly crime scenes. He then recounts how two of Zeta’s staff reporters were gunned down by hired hit men on separate occasions. His pain and anger are palpable when it is revealed that the gunmen were never brought to justice. He sometimes questions himself — the danger, the threats to his life — is journalism really worth dying for? His devotion to his craft is unshakeable. Reportero succeeds at painting a powerful portrait of a man committed to social justice and exposing the truth, no matter the cost.

An Official Selection of the 2012 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the film is a co-production of Quiet Pictures, ITVS, and Latino Public Broadcasting with funding
by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Watch the trailer for Reportero below and stream it for free at pbs.org through October 2, 2015.

[via remezcla.com ]

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