Witness

The Deadliest Beat

A look at the journalists who are determined to report the grim truth about Mexico’s violent drug war.

Filmmakers: Rick Rowley and John Gibler

The daily headlines in the Mexican media are filled with the litany of death and violence that is Mexico today.

The Deadliest Beat is the inside story of Mexico’s drug war as seen through the work of two newspapers in Sinaloa. As the journalists risk their lives to cover – and uncover – the story, the dangers of their work unfold.

Photojournalist Ernesto Martinez reflects on the personal cost to him and his family of his work, while he follows and films the grim fallout of drug wars.

And the newsmen of the weekly paper Riodoce tackle the complex politics behind the war on drugs, chasing stories that more than hint at collusion and corruption from high places.

Two days, two newspapers and a grim look at those who are determined to report the truths of Mexico’s bloody drug war.