Mexico: Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas, eighth journalist murdered this year, publicly reported threats linked to his work

Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas was shot dead on 29 August in the small rural community of Santa Cruz Atopoltitlán, in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, Puebla. He is the eighth reporter in Mexico to be killed due to their work in 2026 - an average of one dead journalist per month.

According to press reports such as El Universal or La Jornada, two men on a motorbike arrived at Productos Zuma, Zúñiga's cleaning-products store, where the media worker was present, entered the premises and shot him, who was taken to Tehuitzingo Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The local journalist primarily used his Facebook page, which had around 13,000 followers, to publish photographs and videos, and livestream citizen complaints and reports on matters of public interest in Tehuitzingo and other municipalities in the region. He also published content through his YouTube channel, Richie TV, covering local public works, the management of public funds and other matters of public interest in the region.

On 9 May, Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas reported publicly on his Facebook page that he had received a phone call on 3 April from an unidentified person who demanded that he stop questioning the municipal administration about the management of the local rubbish dump, the use of public funds, municipal works and other local political issues. According to his Facebook post, the caller warned him that there would be consequences for him if he continued reporting on these issues.

A police investigation into the murder is already underway. The government of the state of Puebla has publicly condemned the murder and called on the Attorney General's Office (FGE) of Puebla state to determine whether Zúñiga's reporting activities were the motive for the crime.

2026: a wave of murdered journalists

Zúñiga's murder comes just three days after a communications operation by RSF and over 40 media outlets across Mexico calling on President Claudia Sheinbaum's government and the justice department to take concrete action to protect the country's endangered news professionals. RSF had also met with Puebla State Attorney General Idamis Pastor Betancourt on 6 August to call for stronger protection measures for journalists, alongside fellow press freedom organisations ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Propuesta Cívica.

The seven other journalists killed this year are:

• Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar: a journalist, political commentator and former director of the public broadcaster CORTV shot dead on 22 July in the state of Oaxaca. One year earlier, he had filed an official report signalling that he had received death threats.
• Josué Martínez Contreras, from the outlet Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, was killed on 16 July 2026.
• Manuel Alejandro Moreno Serna ("Alex Serna"), from the outlet Observatorio Ciudadano de la Costa Grande, was killed on 3 July 2026.
• Luis Ángel López Valdez, director for Reportaje Policiaco Veracruzano, was murdered on 11 June 2026. He had been enrolled in the state protection scheme.
• Roxana Guzmán Ramírez, from the outlet Pulso Informativo del Sureste, was abducted on 2 June 2026 before her body was found at the end of June.
• Juan David Gámez, from the outlet Táctica SS, was killed on 18 March 2026.
• Carlos Castro, from the outlet Código Norte de Veracruz, was killed on 8 January 2026. He had been placed under state protection after receiving threats, but the measures were suspended in 2024 after authorities determined the risk had subsided.