The journalist's paradox

Journalists are an odd breed; most are at least liberal, and are rapid proponents of the freedoms of speech and press. On the other hand, they tend also to be rabidly anti-gun, by and large.

And so we cut to Mexico, where El Diaro de Juarez kowtows to the drug cartels so that they may be consumed last:

In a front-page editorial Sunday, El Diario de Juarez asked drug cartels warring in this city across from El Paso, Texas, to say what they want from the newspaper, so it can continue its work without further death, injury or intimidation of its staff.

"Leaders of the different organizations that are fighting for control of Ciudad Juarez: The loss of two reporters from this publishing house in less than two years represents an irreparable sorrow for all of us who work here, and, in particular, for their families," the editorial said.

"We ask you to explain what you want from us, what we should try to publish or not publish, so we know what to expect," it added.

It was the newspaper's second front-page editorial since gunmen attacked two El Diario photographers Thursday — one a new employee and the other an intern.

The new employee, Luis Carlos Santiago, 21, died and the intern was seriously wounded as they left their office to have lunch.

In 2008, a crime reporter for El Diario was slain outside his home as he was taking his daughters to school.

Dead, missing or fled
At least 22 Mexican journalists have been killed over the past four years, at least eight of them targeted because of their reports on crime and corruption, says the Committee to Protect Journalists, a U.S.-based media watchdog group that plans to present its report to Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday.

In Mexico, a land where criminals have the advantage of firearms, the free press withers and accepts its new role as hostage.

The situation is far more complex than the absence/presence of firearms -- there's drug policy, law enforcement, federal willpower, and public sentiment to also consider -- but I always found it curious that not all Amendments of the Bill of Rights get equal billing (or column inches) in the eyes of journalists, especially where the Second would go a long way to protecting the First.