Reporting on the unseen side of the popular coastal tourist destination of Cancun, in eastern Mexico, received the Britz-Valdez award on Wednesday, dedicated to the memory of two journalists who were murdered in 2017 in the country, one of the most dangerous in the world for those practicing this profession. .

Ricardo Hernandez received first place for his report that shed light on “the lesser-known side” of the world-famous resort.

Especially in the slums, where those at the base of the city’s “economic pyramid” live, which welcomes millions of tourists every year.

The jury awarded the report for its “impeccable narrative” and “witnesses to the blockade and what one does not see in Cancun,” explained Griselda Triana, the widow of Javier Valdes, one of the two journalists honored the award, during the award ceremony.

“The only things that are talked about and shown when it comes to Cancun are its beaches, its tourism, but any flow of information about what’s going on beyond them is avoided, blocked, blocked,” Mr. Hernandez said. .

The journalist emphasized at the ceremony that he was punished for his reporting. “I got fired from the newspaper I was working for because it hurt the image of Cancun,” he explained.

Second place went to a team of journalists (Wendy Selene Perez, Paula Monaco, Luis Brito, Maria Ruiz) for their reporting on the trial of a former official of the National Commission for the Investigation of the Disappeared (CNB), who was facing charges of having handed over genetic profiles 45,000 missing persons and their relatives in a private company.

About 100,000 people are missing in Mexico due to kidnappings and murders often linked to drug trafficking.

The Brics-Valdes award honors the memory and work of Javier Valdes, who – among others – was a correspondent for Agence France-Presse in Sinaloa, and Miroslava Brics. Both were murdered for their reporting and investigations. AFP and UNESCO participate in the jury.

Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalism, according to the non-governmental organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), which has recorded more than 150 murders of media professionals there since 2000.