On April 23, Mexican police discovered the body of yet another slain journalist. Newspaper editor Saúl Noé Martínez Ortega became at least the seventh reporter killed in Mexico since October 2006. That earned Mexico the dubious distinction of most deadly country in the hemisphere for members of the press.

While Mexico's situation is extreme, it is not unique in Latin America. Indeed, Freedom House's annual survey, Freedom of the Press, reveals that violence against journalists was a common factor behind modest declines in press freedom in 2006. The physical threat to reporters increased in countries as diverse as Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Peru. While much of the aggression was linked to the drug trade, violence also was associated with the regional wave of elections.

Not all the news is bad. Seventeen countries, mostly in the Caribbean, are rated 'free,' while an additional 16 are 'partly free.' Colombia and Haiti moved from the 'not free' category to 'partly free' in the 2006 survey. In Colombia's case, journalists have courageously withstood years of severe violence that claimed the lives of dozens of colleagues. While covering the news can still be perilous -- as evidenced by the deaths of three reporters last year -- Colombia's category change reflects the country's gradually improving security situation, also illustrated by vigorous reporting on the scandal linking paramilitaries and politicians. Haiti's improvement, meanwhile, is based on overall reduced tensions following the election of a relatively media-tolerant government.

Press enemies: Cuba and Venezuela

Only two countries remain 'not free': Venezuela and eternal media enemy Cuba. Since 2002 Venezuela's score has plummeted 30 points (on a 100-point scale), a greater drop than any other country in the world. The country's political polarization and pressure from President Hugo Chávez's regime prevent domestic media from serving their proper role as society's watchdog. Journalists operate in an atmosphere in which legal and physical attacks are increasingly arbitrary in nature. The nonrenewal of opposition television station RCTV's broadcasting license is yet another signal to media outlets that dissent from the government line carries substantial risks.

Political polarization also affected press freedom. While polarization does not in itself limit press freedom, in some countries editorial bias was more clearly on display than in years past. In Bolivia, much of the violence directed against journalists had an ideological underpinning. Region-wide, candidates and supporters who felt wronged by election coverage helped fuel media mistrust by questioning the press' motivations.

In one sense, some of Latin America's press-freedom issues are problems of success: with the hemisphere-wide transition from dictatorship to democracy in the 1980s and '90s, the media environment opened considerably. In comparison with the mid-'80s, the current press environment is vibrant. Direct censorship is nearly nonexistent, and private ownership has largely displaced government control of the printing press and airwaves.

In this liberated environment, journalists discovered an audience for stories about official misconduct (especially corruption) and crime. Yet this placed reporters in the cross-hairs of powerful actors who felt threatened by the new watchdogs. Especially at the local and regional levels, the response by officials was to sue or intimidate members of the press. To compound the situation, the spread of drug gangs and the attendant increase in violent crime presented journalists with an enemy of unprecedented danger.

What can be done to improve press freedom in the Americas? Journalists are not powerless.

An increased focus on ethics is critical, especially in countries such as those of the Andean region, where trust in the media is low. Economic and political bias still infects news coverage, and in some countries bribery of journalists is common.

Governments must do more to protect journalists as well. More countries should follow Mexico's recent example and decriminalize libel and defamation.

Attacks against journalists must be vigorously investigated and prosecuted to combat the perception of impunity. Several countries, including Colombia and Mexico, have begun this process by setting up offices dedicated to protecting journalists and investigating crimes against the press, though their efficacy is questionable. Without more such demonstrations of government resolve, journalistic independence in Latin America will remain vulnerable.

Jake Dizard is a Latin America analyst for Freedom House.