U.S. lawmakers take Mexican president to task over need to protect journalists

FILE PHOTO: A typewriter and pictures of murdered Mexican journalists are displayed during a vigil held by colleagues protesting the recent killings of photojournalist Margarito Martinez and journalist Lourdes Maldonado, in Veracruz, Mexico January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yahir Ceballos

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers urged Mexico on Tuesday to step up protection following the killing of four journalists this year, and criticized President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for publicly lashing out at his government's critics in the media.

Writing in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senators Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio asked for the U.S. administration to take a bigger role in pushing the Mexican government for stronger action.