Francisco Ortiz Franco
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Francisco Javier Ortiz Franco | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1954 Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico |
| Died | June 22, 2004 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico |
| Occupation | Zeta journalist |
| Known for | 2004 murder |
Francisco Javier Ortiz Franco (1954 in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato – June 22, 2004 in Tijuana, Baja California) was a Mexican journalist, who was murdered after writing about drug trafficking.
Prior to his work as a journalist, Ortiz trained as a lawyer.[1] In 1980, he joined Jesús Blancornelas and Héctor Félix Miranda in founding Zeta, a weekly magazine known for its coverage of organized crime, drug trafficking, and government corruption.[2] Ortiz served as an editor and also wrote a column for the magazine on legal issues.[1]
In 2004, Ortiz began to write about drug trafficking.[3] At around this time, Zeta's editor-in-chief Jesús Blancornelas wanted to remove bylines from Zeta's most dangerous stories, but was persuaded not to by Ortiz, who wished his to continue to run.[4]