Shaping Mexican Journalists: The Role of University and On-the-job Training

It has been said that of all the shared borders in the world, none offers more of a contrast than that between Mexico and the United States. Similarly, the gulf between the reputations of the Mexican and U.S. press is very wide. Professor Murray Fromson of the University of Southern California's Center for International Journalism has cited critical problems facing the Mexican press, including a shortage of well-trained editors and reporters: One reason these obstacles are difficult to overcome is the inadequacy of the educational system for journalists. Many reporters and editors loam on the job. The existing journalism schools at Mexican universities do not teach students how to be critical thinkers. Hence, many reporters are more like stenographers who can record the facts given by an official or taken from a news release, but they cannot tell readers what those facts mean.1 In its current state, the Mexican press faces numerous problems including a lack of respect from its target audience and the sources it reports on. But while problems such as bribery and intimidation of reporters and editors continue to be a widespread fact of life in Mexico, there is some encouraging news. University journalism programs are starting to change to meet the demand for a better-trained, more professionally oriented media. In the professional sector, the Grupo Reforma newspaper chain, which includes the widely respected Reforma of Mexico City, has instituted innovative personnel practices, and investments in training of potential and current journalists that are credited with having made a positive impact on the journalistic standards and practices in Mexico. There are two broad categories in which formal training of journalists takes place throughout the world: classroom-based, educational settings, primarily represented in modern countries by journalism programs in universities; and on-the job professional development provided by an employer. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with influential figures in both areas, this article provides an overview of the current status of university and on-the-job training in Mexico. The State of the Mexican Press The working conditions faced by many journalists in Mexico are legendary and long-standing, including countless examples of intimidation, legal threats, beatings, kidnappings and, in some cases, murders.2 That pattern of violence has continued in recent years.3 While anti-press attacks have ranged from verbal intimidation to assassinations, they have also included a more subtle use of legal and sometimes government-sanctioned intimidation.4 Not surprisingly, the evolution of true press freedom in Mexico has been slow,5 and the atmosphere of blatantly aggressive threats and subtle coercion has created a press corps that has a less than stellar reputation nationally and internationally. The credibility and professional standards of the Mexican press have been widely addressed in both the trade and academic press and, generally, the reviews have not been complimentary. Historically, the press in Mexico faced low reporter wages supplemented by bribes, government and management pressure to conform, and, in the most extreme cases, physical violence that could include murder.6 Bribes for reporters and owners were institutionalized, and, as recently as 1997, a report on the credibility of the Mexican press noted that it was still common to see reporters accepting travel expenses, watches, cars and "$50 boxes of frozen steaks" in return for flattering stories.7 Further, it is common practice for newspapers to sell front-page space to advertisers who run self-generated stories without disclosing the content to readers as paid material.8 In many cases, the reporters who help "place" these ads, known as "gacetillas," are given a cut of the profit - usually 15 percent - by their newspapers.9 The pressure to toe the party line has traditionally come with varying degrees of subtlety from both big business and within the entrenched government structure. …