A report released by the nongovernmental watchdog group Freedom House indicates that government harassment of reporters is on the rise in a number of Latin American countries.

Dr. Carlos E. Ponce, the director of Latin America programs for Freedom House, writes in the report, “We are seeing the arbitrary allocation of public resources to control media outlets, legislation to restrict press freedom, a lack of access of information for independent journalists, arbitrary use of regulation and oversight, government censorship, an environment of intimidation that inhibits dissenting speech, political persecution, and impunity for crimes against journalists.”

Aside from this government harassment, journalists often face general violence in countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala.

Mexico in particular was singled out as “one of the world’s most dangerous places for media workers.” Just last year, three journalists were killed in direct connection to their investigative work there.

This week South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan addressed the danger directed at Mexican journalists at a congressional hearing.

“When it comes to violence against the media, Mexico exists as one of the most dangerous countries for media with journalists often receiving extortion and kidnapping threats from government officials, criminal groups and other transnational gangs," Duncan said, according to Public Radio International.

"In fact Mexico accounts for more than a third of all the killing of media workers and journalists in the hemisphere since 2009,” he added.

Alfredo Corchado, a Mexico correspondent who writes for the Dallas Morning News, testified at the July 29 hearing that in Mexico a reporter is attacked every 26 hours.

“Too many journalists in my homeland in Mexico have paid the ultimate price. Now, I hope to honor their memory,” said Corchado. “In spite of all the dangers, in spite of all the risks, it’s important to know that you still have a lot of very brave journalists trying to do investigative work, trying to hold the powerful accountable.”

Over the weekend, Ruben Espinosa, a photographer for the investigative magazine Proceso, was found dead with two gunshot wounds on his corpse. As reported in the Guardian, Espinosa had recently gone into hiding as he felt his life was in danger.