Jesús Blancornelas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jesús Blancornelas
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| Born | November 14, 1936 San Luis Potosí, Mexico
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| Died | November 23, 2006 (aged 70) Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
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| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse(s) | Genoveva Villalón de Blanco |
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Jesús Blancornelas (born November 14, 1936 – died November 23, 2006) was a very important Mexican journalist. He helped create a magazine called Zeta in Tijuana. This magazine became famous for reporting on serious issues like corruption.
Blancornelas wrote six books and was known as a top expert on organized crime during his time. He was also the first person to publish a photo of Ramón Arellano Félix, a powerful crime leader. Because of this photo, a criminal group tried to kill Blancornelas in 1997. However, he survived the attack and bravely kept reporting on Mexico's criminal world.
For over twenty years, Blancornelas received many international awards for his courage. He stood up against the old ways in Mexico, where bribery and censorship were common in the news. After he passed away, newspapers like the Los Angeles Times called him "the spiritual godfather of modern Mexican journalism." Many see him as a pioneer who pushed for more press freedom in Mexico.
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Early Days as a Journalist
Jesús Blancornelas was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He started his journalism career in April 1955 at a newspaper called El Sol de San Luis. He began as a sportswriter.
In 1960, he moved to Tijuana, Baja California. There, he started focusing on reporting about corruption. He became a news editor at El Mexicano newspaper. Later, he moved to La Voz de la Frontera, where he became the editor-in-chief.
Unlike many other journalists then, Blancornelas was eager to write about illegal activities and corruption. This led to him being fired from three newspapers. So, he decided to start his own newspaper.
Starting ABC Newspaper
In 1977, Blancornelas founded a newspaper named ABC. He hired Héctor Félix Miranda, who would later co-found Zeta. Miranda wrote columns under the name "Félix el Gato" (Felix the Cat). He used these columns to criticize local politicians.
These articles made the government of Baja California and Mexico's former President José López Portillo very angry. The government ordered Blancornelas to fire Miranda and stopped the newspaper from being distributed. When Blancornelas refused, a special police team was sent to take over the paper's offices. Blancornelas managed to escape to the United States and settled in San Diego, California.
The Zeta Magazine Story
In 1980, Blancornelas started a new weekly magazine called Zeta. He co-founded it with Héctor Félix. They first printed copies in the United States and then brought them secretly across the border into Mexico. After some years, they were able to set up their operations back in Tijuana. Through Zeta, they continued to investigate organized crime and corruption.
Tragedy and Bravery
Sadly, Héctor Félix Miranda was killed in 1988. He was shot multiple times. Two guards from the Agua Caliente Racetrack were later found guilty of his murder. For the next 18 years, Blancornelas kept Félix Miranda's name on the Zeta magazine's masthead. He marked it with a black cross to remember him.
Blancornelas also published a full-page ad in every issue under Félix's name. It asked Jorge Hank Rhon, a Tijuana politician and employer of the guards, why Félix Miranda had been killed.
In 1994, Zeta published an investigation into the killing of Luis Donaldo Colosio. Despite many theories, the magazine concluded that a single troubled person was responsible.
In the 2000s, Blancornelas wanted to remove reporters' names from Zeta's most dangerous stories. He worried about their safety. But reporter Francisco Ortiz convinced him to keep his name on his stories about organized crime. In 2005, Ortiz was shot. After this, Blancornelas started his policy of not using bylines (reporter names) on risky stories.
Surviving an Attack
In November 1996, Blancornelas planned to visit New York City to receive an international award. A few days before his trip, a policeman in Tijuana warned him that his life was in danger if he went. A year later, this warning proved true.
The Ambush
In 1997, in Tijuana, Blancornelas was attacked by gunmen from a criminal group. This happened while he was on his way to the airport. The attackers opened fire on his car, hitting it over 180 times. Blancornelas was wounded in his stomach. His driver and bodyguard, Luis Valero Elizalde, bravely died protecting him. Elizalde was hit 38 times and even managed to kill one of the attackers. Blancornelas suffered health problems from this injury for the rest of his life. That same year, three other important journalists were killed in Mexico.
Life Under Guard
Because of his dangerous work, Blancornelas had to live under what he called "self-imposed home arrest." He only traveled between his home and workplace. He was always accompanied by many Special Forces bodyguards from the Mexican Army.
Previous attacks on journalists often received little attention. However, the attempt on Blancornelas's life made headlines across Mexico. It was covered on TV and radio. International news outlets like the New York Times and Los Angeles Times also reported on it. Because of the public outcry, Mexican authorities investigated the attack with more resources.
Returning to Work
After spending 20 days in the hospital, Blancornelas recovered. He returned to publishing Zeta magazine. He left the hospital using a walker and was escorted by many police officers and soldiers. When he arrived home, many reporters were waiting. He allowed them to take pictures but didn't answer questions. "I'll be back as soon as possible," he told them, thanking the media for covering the attack.
To increase their safety, the Blancornelas family built a huge brick wall around their house. Soldiers guarded their home and the Zeta offices. By 1998, the top editors of the newspaper and Blancornelas's three sons were always guarded by authorities.
A man named Marco Arturo Quiñones Sánchez was accused of being one of the gunmen in the attack. However, a judge found him not guilty in 2013.
Later Life and Passing
In his final years, Blancornelas lived almost like a prisoner. He was always accompanied by about fifteen armed guards. He passed away in Tijuana on November 23, 2006. He died in Del Prado Hospital due to complications from stomach cancer. He had been taken to the hospital a few days earlier.
Before his death, Blancornelas stopped reporting directly for Zeta magazine in February 2006. However, he still sent information to the magazine.
He had started to doubt if Zeta could still make a difference. He even thought about closing the magazine after he died. But editor Adela Navarro Bello and Blancornelas's son, César René Blanco Villalón, convinced him to let the magazine continue. They became its new co-publishers.
Just before he died, Blancornelas believed a criminal group had offered a large reward for his assassination. He publicly said he wanted to interview Enedina Arellano Félix to confirm this information.
He was survived by his wife, Genoveva Villalón de Blanco, and their three sons: José Jesús, Ramón Tomás, and César René.
Awards and Recognition
Jesús Blancornelas received many important awards for his brave journalism:
- In 1996, he won the US-based CPJ International Press Freedom Awards. These awards honor journalists who show courage in defending press freedom despite threats.
- He also won the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University.
- In 1998, he was honored as the International Editor of the Year by the World Press Review.
- Blancornelas received the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in 1999.
- In 2000, he was named one of the International Press Institute's fifty World Press Freedom Heroes of the previous fifty years.
A special song called a corrido (ballad) was written in memory of Blancornelas. It's called El Periodista ("The Journalist") and was created by the band Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
The documentary film Reportero by Bernardo Ruiz tells the story of Zeta and Blancornelas.
See also
- List of journalists killed in Mexico
- Mexican Drug War
