Prosecutor: Mexico not so dangerous for reporters

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MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's special prosecutor for crimes against journalists says only three of 25 reporters who died violently in the last two years in Mexico were killed because of their work.

Octavio Orellana said most of the reporters who died were bystanders in attacks against other people or were killed in accidents or committed suicide

He said several victims who worked with media outlets were not reporters.

He said the motives behind most reporters' deaths "are similar to what affects the rest of Mexicans," referring to sharply increased murder rates across the country.

Media groups say Mexico - which is experiencing a wave of drug cartel-related violence - is the deadliest place in the Americas to report and one of the world's most dangerous. But Orellana said that perception is based on erroneous information.

Most recently, Armando Rodriguez, a veteran crime reporter for the newspaper El Diario, was killed Nov. 13 outside his home in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas.