Adela NAVARRO BELLO

Investigative journalist Adela Navarro Bello, director of the weekly magazine ZETA Tijuana, faced threats and intimidation in 2025. Between 29 April and 16 May, she received eight threatening phone calls. In each call, a male voice repeated the phrase: ‘tell Adela Navarro to be careful.’ The threats began following the publication of investigations into the alleged concealment of official information related to a clandestine mass grave, as well as other reports on corruption. 

On 31 October 2025, businessman Manuel Cisneros Romero went to Zeta’s offices accompanied by armed men, asking to see Navarro, following the publication of a report linking his son to criminal networks. The journalist filed a complaint for intimidation and gender-based violence, and the state prosecutor’s office opened an investigation. Earlier, in January 2025, the weekly had already been mentioned in a narco-banner – cloth banners with intimidating messages hung in public places. 

Adela Navarro Bello (born 1968) is an investigative journalist and columnist, and the editor-in-chief of ZETA Tijuana. She is co-author of #JournalistsToo – Women Journalists – Women Working (2021). Throughout her career she has received numerous awards, including the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Courage in Journalism Award granted by the International Women’s Media Foundation.