A MURDER IN MEXICO

Killing Is A Blow Against All Who Value Truth In Journalism

The murder of Mexican journalist Francisco J. Ortiz Franco in Tijuana
should be condemned in the strongest terms. By shooting this valiant
newsman in front of his children, the killers not only committed a
brutal act of cowardice, but also sought once more to intimidate a
muckraking publication that represents some of the best in journalism.

Mr. Ortiz Franco was a founding editor of the Zeta newsweekly, which
frequently has exposed the nefarious deeds of narcotics traffickers,
money launderers and their friends in positions of power. It is feared
and hated by enemies and esteemed by all who value honest journalism.
Its motto -- ''Free like the wind'' -- is a constant reminder that at
Zeta the truth is not for sale.

Other Zeta editors have been in the cross-hairs of the killers before.
In 1988, gunmen killed Felix Miranda, another founder. The crime
remains unsolved. In 1997, co-director Jess Blancornelas narrowly
survived after being shot five times by drug-cartel gunmen who killed
his bodyguard. Mr. Blancornelas later received the World Press Freedom
prize from UNESCO.

The murder of Mr. Ortiz Franco is a reminder that journalists are at
particular risk in Mexico wherever the narcotics mafias flourish.
President Vicente Fox should seize this opportunity to turn a tragedy
into a victory for democracy by urging passage of a proposal to
federalize crimes such as the murder of journalists and women in
Mexican states where local authorities can't cope.

This would help to bring Mexico into the community of countries justly
admired for commitment to the rule of law and inform killers that
bullets may silence courageous newsmen, but truth itself is bullet-
proof.