Reporting from journalism danger zones Mexico, Pakistan, panel Nov. 17

Two of the most dangerous countries in the world for working journalists, Mexico and Pakistan, will be scrutinized in a panel discussion at the National Press Club at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 in the First Amendment Lounge.
"The Danger of Knowing" panel, co-sponsored by NPC, Reporters Without Borders and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, will explore how Mexico and Pakistan,though different in location and circumstances, share the dubious distinction of being harrowing places for journalists to work, while events in both places demand coverage more than in most nations.
The panelists are Richard Leiby, who will soon be the Washington Post bureau chief in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad; and Malcolm Beith, author of a book on Mexico’s drug war called The Last Narco.
Criminal groups have killed 141 employees of news organizations in the last decade, according to Reporters Without Borders. Mexico has become a perilous place to report, especially for those covering the drug war. Most recently, bloggers have been beheaded in Mexico, with threatening messages found nearby from drug cartels. In Pakistan, meanwhile, journalists are also in the cross-hairs and the country’s intelligence service is suspected of being involved.
The panelists will put these threats in the context of international diplomacy and geopolitics.
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