Maria Elena Ferral
Journalists demonstrate against the murder of their colleague Maria Helena Ferral at Lerdo square in Xalapa, Veracruz state, Mexico on April 1, 2020.
HECTOR QUINTANAR/AFP via Getty Images
  • Maria Elena Ferral, a Mexican journalist, was struck by at least three bullets when leaving a notary office in March 2020.
  • Ferral was a prominent reporter known for her reporting on corruption, politics, and crime in Veracruz, Mexico. 
  • Insider is covering Maria Elena Ferral’s case as part of The One Free Press Coalition, which raises awareness of the world’s persecuted journalists.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

A Mexican reporter was fatally shot in Veracruz, Mexico, on March 30, 2020, marking the first assassination of a media member in the country last year.

The killing was a grim example of the violent attacks journalists face worldwide. 

Maria Elena Ferral was exiting a notary office in Papantla, Veracruz, when she was struck multiple times after two men riding on motorcycles fired at her, RSF reported. She was transported to a hospital, where she later died, according to the report. 

Local journalists protested on the streets of Veracruz, calling for justice following Ferral’s death, Arab News reported. 

 

Recognized for her coverage of crime and corruption, Ferral was a correspondent for Diario de Xalapa, a newspaper in Xalapa, Veracruz, and a co-founder of the news platform El Quinto Poder, according to One Free Press Coalition. 

Ferral also wrote a column for a Facebook page called La Polaca Totonaca. In one piece, just days before she died, she informed the public about the murders of mayoral candidates in Gutiérrez Zamora, Veracruz, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The late reporter and her daughter even had to obtain security guards in 2016 from the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalist in Veracruz. The guards were revoked the next year by the state's Secretary of Security without informing the commission, according to RSF. 

Mexico has been established as an extremely dangerous hub for journalists, and as the BBC reported, over 130 journalists have died in the country since 2000. According to One Free Press Coalition, at least five journalists died in the country last year. 

Insider is covering Maria Elena Ferral's case as part of The One Free Press Coalition, which raises awareness of the world's persecuted journalists.

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