Mexican journalists can now access an online service that assists and councils on topics related to journalists' rights and guides Mexican journalists in their search for truth. The site, Consultorio de Acceso a la Información Pública y Libertad de Expresión, (CAIPLEX at www.caiplex.org), is also meant to be a space for dialogue among all members of the journalistic community in Mexico.

Personalized responses are provided by Dr. Perla Gómez, a press freedom expert with a doctorate in law. The site is being coordinated by Benjamín Fernández, Knight International Journalism Fellow.

“Right now, many forces work against freedom of expression including government restrictions on access to information, a judicial system that does not protect journalists and, of course, the drug cartels that attack and kill any critics in the media,” Fernández said recently.

The new project was created in conjunction with the Foundation for Freedom of Expression in Mexico, (Fundación para la Libertad de Expresión, or FUNDALEX), an organization that seeks to guarantee the safety of journalists, freedom of expression, and the right to information in Mexico.

Fernández also recently led the writing and presentation of a Declaration on Freedom of Expression, Mexico 2009, (Compromiso para la Libertad de Expresión) a collection of references and reminders for journalists, judges, legislators, and business people regarding "the importance of freedom of expression and the building of it's democratic ideas, and the central role the press plays.”

To visit CAIPLEX, click here. For more information, click here.