The director of western Mexico news outlet Monitor Michoacan was murdered yesterday, meaning the toll of such killings has already surpassed last year's figure in the first three-and-a-half months of 2022.
It was the eighth murder of a journalist in Mexico this year, one more than the total for 2021, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Article 19.
In a statement, the Michoacan prosecutor's office said Armando Linares was murdered yesterday "afternoon in a private home".
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for members of the press.
According to Reporters Without Borders, some 150 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000.
Mr Linares's murder came just six weeks after one of his colleagues at the Monitor Michoacan, Roberto Toledo, was also killed.
After Mr Toledo's death on 31 January, Mr Linares denounced threats against him and his team for having exposed corruption.
"We are not armed, we do not bring weapons. Our only defence is a pen, a pencil," Mr Linares said in a video.
Even so, Mr Linares was not provided with any security.
The other journalists killed this year were Juan Carlos Muniz, Heber Lopez, Lourdes Maldonado, Margarito Martinez, Jose Luis Gamboa and Jorge Luis Camero.
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Journalists in Mexico face deadly risks as murders rise
"The nightmare continues for the press in Mexico," said RSF on Twitter, demanding an "exemplary investigation" by authorities.
In early March, the European Parliament approved a resolution demanding that Mexican authorities "take all the necessary steps to ensure the protection and the creation of a safe environment for journalists and human rights defenders".
That elicited a furious response from Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who accused the European Parliament of supporting his "corrupt" opponents in attempting to stage a "coup".
Mr Lopez Obrador regularly criticises a section of the press he accuses of serving private interests.
Michoacan state is embroiled in a cycle of violence that extends beyond the murders of journalists.
On 11 March, the mayor of Aguililla, Cesar Valencia, was shot dead.
At the end of February at least ten people were killed in an armed attack in San Jose de Gracia.
Several powerful drug-trafficking gangs such as the Jalisco New Generation and Los Viagras cartels operate in the state and battle each other for control of strategic territory.
The violence also includes kidnappings and extortion of avocado producers. The southwestern Mexican state of Michoacan is the world's largest producer of avocado.
In 2021, Michoacan recorded 2,732 murders, a little more than 8% of Mexico's 33,315 murders.
According to authorities, 340,000 people have died violent deaths in Mexico since the government launched a controversial military offensive against drug cartels.
