Mexico: descent into chaosInsurers refuse to cover journalists working in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

Published 13 May 2010

Insurance companies use actuarial tables to determine the cost of one’s life insurance premium; at times the price is so high, individuals may be deterred from buying a policy; at times the risk is so high, insurance companies would refuse to offer a policy; insurance companies now refuse to offer life insurance to journalists covering the drug war in Mexico

Police recover the body of U.S. marshal Vincent Bustamante // Source: chinapost.com.tw

Violence has made the border city of Ciudad Juárez one of the world’s most dangerous cities and one of the riskiest places to practice journalism.. The situation is such that several insurance companies will not sell life insurance to media workers, while others have added new surcharges to policies issued in the city, El Diario reports.

The Association of Journalists of Ciudad Juárez learned of the situation when it tried to renew its group insurance policies for its members, something it has done for decades, La Jornada says.

Journalism in the Americas blog reports that Similar measures could also affect professions that have become increasingly risky — such as journalism and police work — in other cities such as Reynosa and Torreón, considered to be “war zones” in the fight against drug trafficking, El Diario reports.

Journalists have been a frequent target of violence in Mexico. Many reporters have been killed or attacked, and others have opted to leave the country.