Mexican TV stations hit by bombs, follows recent journalist kidnappings

8/15, BBC, "Officials from Mexico's largest television network Televisa say an explosive device went off in front of their station in the northern city of Monterrey.

• The attack followed a similar incident at their studios in Matamoros, in the north-east, just hours earlier.

While the blasts caused some damage to buildings, no one was injured.

Human rights groups say Mexico is one of the world's

• most dangerous countries for reporters.

Last month, two Televisa journalists were kidnapped, along with two colleagues from other media, when they were

• covering corruption allegations at a prison in Durango state.

The kidnappers reportedly demanded that the TV stations the men worked for broadcast a

• series of videos accusing local officials of ties with a drug cartel. ...

• Two of the journalists were later freed and the other two rescued."...
• UPDATE, LA TIMES, 8/16, Details on released journalists:
• "Eventually the reporters were freed.
• Blood still seeping from his scalp, a bruised Alejandro Hernandez spoke of the ordeal:
• five days of torture,
• beatings with a plank,
• threats of an ugly death.

A happy ending? The men were rescued or released only after

• their news outlets met the traffickers' demands and

• aired the cartel videos.

It was the latest twist: news coverage as ransom."

• "Mexico TV station Televisa hit by blasts," photo reuters

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