JMS+375+Group+3

Diana Crofts-Pelayo

 **Introduction**

 In March 2011, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and U.S. President Obama met to discuss U.S./Mexico relations, but more importantly, they spoke to talk about the escalating violence in Mexico [1]. Since 2006, when Calderon took office, thousands of Mexicans have died in drug-related killings. Of those thousands, many are journalists.

 Some could say a nation’s biggest threat to national security is terrorism, but, more recently, drug cartels are considered as dangerous. In 2006, Calderon declared a “war on drugs” because of the escalating violence [2].  In order to understand why journalists are in jeopardy, it is essential to analyze Mexico’s history of drug cartels. Covering drug related war issues in Mexico may lead for journalists to be murdered. It is also important to review the current impact it has on journalism in Mexico.

 However, with the impact of technological tools like social media, journalists are using them to report on drug cartels. Journalists reporting in Mexico face future challenges that cannot be changed overnight. They are faced with the option of exposing the true actions of the drug cartels with the possible price of their lives or hiding the truth in the interest of their safety.

**References**

1. @http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/03/whats-the-answer-to-worsening-relations-between-u-s-and-mexico/?iref=allsearch

2. @http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1887488,00.html

 Yanfei Bian

**History of the drug war cartels in Mexico**

The Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels that fight each other for regional control. Although Mexican drug cartels or drug trafficking organizations have existed for a few decades, they have become more powerful since the demise of Colombia's Cali and Medellín cartels in the 1990s. Mexican drug cartels now dominate the wholesale illicit drug market in the United States.[1] Arrests of key cartel leaders, particularly in the Tijuana and Gulf cartels, have led to increasing drug violence as cartels fight for control of the trafficking routes into the United States.[2][3][4]

During the Mexican Revolution, northern Mexico was the scene of many battles as rival warlords battled one another and the federal government. Today, almost one hundred years later, northern Mexico is once again being fought over by rival warlords and the federal government. Many journalists and photographers have been killed. At least 24 since 2000, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a group which fights violence against reporters. Some newspapers are publishing stories without bylines to protect their reporters, but the danger is still high.

**Case: Mexican Journalists Flee Drug War, Seek Asylum**

In August 2010, a Mexican journalist protests the violence against journalists. Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced a series of measures designed to safeguard the work of journalists who cover the violent cartel war in that country.

The war has claimed more than 36,000 lives and has become one of the most dangerous stories in the world. Some journalists have taken the ultimate step: fleeing to the United States to seek political asylum.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Now the moment that thousands of Mexican citizens who have fled to the U.S. wait for but very rarely get to savor has arrived: 52-year-old journalist Jorge Luis Aguirre has been granted political asylum. Aguirre edits the hard-hitting, irreverent website LaPolaka.com that covers Juarez, Mexico. He fled his city nearly two years ago when he received a death threat, he believes, for writing critically about powerful Chihuahua state officials.

**References** 1. Cook, Colleen W., ed (October 16). "Mexico's Drug Cartels" (PDF). CRS Report for Congress. Congresional Research Service. p. 7. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34215.pdf.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;">2. "Progress in Mexico drug war is drenched in blood". Associated Press. INSI. November 3, 2009.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;">3. "High U.S. cocaine cost shows drug war working: Mexico". Reuters. September 14, 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1422771920070914.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;">4. Sullivan, Mark P., ed (December 18). "CRS Report for Congress" (PDF). Mexico - U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service. pp. 2, 13, 14. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32724.pdf.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">Manuel Martinez-Ortega

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">**The current impact of the drug war cartels on Mexican journalists**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">In the last five years, Mexican journalists have put their lives at peril when covering the drug war cartels. The two largest media conglomerates in Mexico, Televisa and Television Azteca are providing Mexican journalists in general with guidelines when reporting on the drug war cartels. Journalists in Mexico have promised not to publish drug cartel propaganda, glorify drug traffickers or reveal information that could endanger police operations and their lives [1].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">

Source: The Christian Science Monitor: [| http://www.csmonitor.com/]

__http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/map-of-mexican-drug-cartels/9337207-1-eng-US/Map-of-Mexican-drug-cartels_full_600.jpg__

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">During President Felipe Calderon’s term, 22 journalists have been murdered. Eight of these murders have been in direct retaliation by the drug cartels when reporting on crime or corruption [2]. President Calderon has criticized the media in Mexico for showing gruesome videos of execution and publishing threats of the organized crime towards other drug cartels and the Mexican government [3]. Mexican journalists are defending their position as news gatherers and reporters of important issues in Mexico like the drug war cartels, even though Mexican journalists know their lives may be jeopardized by doing their job.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">More than 36,000 people have been killed since 2006, when President Calderon launched a military attack on the drug war cartels [4]. The result of the intense fighting by the military to reduce the control and power of the drug war cartels has not been as expected, according to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui. The result within Mexico is that many people from Mexico leave the country. Internationally, in 2009, the Pentagon put Mexico at a risk of becoming a failed state [5]. Mexico is being seen as a nation with social instability, corruption, and a failed military tactic towards the drug war cartels.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A photo caption here could read: Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui reports that the drug war in Mexico has resulted in many people leaving the country. // Source: CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/aristegui.carmen.html

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">The social media platforms such as Twitter are playing an important role in the coverage by Mexican journalists of the drug war cartels. This has and is providing Mexican journalists like Javier Zarza and Judith Torrea the opportunity to communicate and report the violence in real time, in addition to comment on the drug war related issues [6]. Twitter is currently a platform that is being used by Mexican journalists to provide images or small news stories of military raids on organized crime to provide people with a visual representation of how the Mexican military is trying to crack down the drug war cartels’ operations. Social media like Twitter is acting as an alternative way to cover the drug war cartels in Mexico, apart from the traditional media such as newspapers, radio and television. This is also having an international impact in the way foreign journalists and media organizations like CBS, NBC or BBC are reporting on drug war related issues. The Twitter platform has allowed international coverage to view Mexican journalists' Twitter accounts to have an understanding of how Mexican journalists are subject to threats, kidnapping and executions [7].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**YouTube Video: "Journalists kidnapped as drug war rages in Mexico"**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muyOBjZLY9M

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">**References: The current impact of the drug war cartels on Mexican journalists**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> 1. []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> 2. []

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: justify;">4, 5. []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> 6, 7. []

__ http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/map-of-mexican-drug-cartels/9337207-1-eng-US/Map-of-Mexican-drug-cartels_full_600.jpg __

__ http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/aristegui.carmen.html __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Alma Ascencio

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Future challenges journalists face in Mexico**

<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for journalism. Mexican journalists and news organizations will face hard challenges in the future for the risks of reporting the violence and the war triggered by drug cartels.

<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Mexico's National Human Rights Commission puts the number of murdered journalists at 66 between 2005 and 2010. An additional 12 reporters have disappeared.

<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Because of the violence and the risks reporters run, many local and regional Mexican papers will abandon coverage on drug trafficking.

<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> Also a widespread of self-censorship throughout the Mexican press is reported from most parts, as the Committee to Protect Journalists affirmed that "Organized crime groups exerted fierce pressure on the Mexican press as their control spread across vast regions and nearly every aspect of society. Pervasive self-censorship by news media in areas under drug traffickers' influence was a devastating consequence of violence and intimidation."

<span style="color: #333233; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">For American journalists, being told to "tone down" their coverage is often taken as a direct challenge to push harder. But in Mexico, reporters often think twice to determine whether the pressure exerted on a story is worth their life.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Tracy Wilkinson of the Los Angeles Times explained the new word in the Mexican news industry: narco-censorship. "It's when reporters and editors, out of fear or caution, are forced to write what the traffickers want them to write, or to simply refrain from publishing the whole truth."

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">Another challenge that Mexican journalists will continue to face is the corruption by the Mexican government. By controlling access to official information, the government rewarded sympathetic papers and punished independent newspapers.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 6.75pt; text-align: justify;"> The central government is unable to protect Mexican journalists and thus, these journalists will feel forced to choose between personal safety and professional ethics. They fear retribution against themselves and their families.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 6.75pt; min-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"> Other challenges include consolidation of power, the pervasive connections between the powerful in business, media, politics and organized crime. They include threats against reporters, government corruption or even the drug cartels controlling the news. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; min-height: 15px;">The media plays a vital role in a healthy democratic society like Mexico. Unfortunately, there are criminals who threaten the safety and security of those reporting on violent and illicit activity in order to silence their voices.

<span style="color: #232323; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; min-height: 15px;">Despite the threats of violence toward journalists in Mexico, there is a large group of people using modern technology to report in the media blackout surrounding the drug war.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"> People are using blogs and twitter accounts to cover what many of Mexico’s mainstream media outlets will not. One of the most successful of these blo gs is El Blog del Narco, whose administrator claims he receives four million visitors a week.

<span style="color: #232323; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">The Internet is a way for people to report on what is happening in certain parts of Mexico, but for those journalists who work for Mexico’s media outlets, threats are facts of life.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">As more reporters die, journalism itself is suffering and self-censorship has become a means of self-protection. The lack of political protection and impunity and self-censorship is spark by fear to be killed by drug cartels. All of these factors can be seen as the main obstacles to free press in Mexico.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">**References** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">__ @http://www.i-m-s.dk/article/mexico-deadliest-country-americas-journalists __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">__ http://www.blogdelnarco.com __ /- very interesting blog

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">__ @http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/11/26/01 __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">__ @http://www.fundacionmepi.org/media/drug-violence-news-coverage.swf __ - statical map of the impact of drug violence in the news.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">__ @http://www.knightfoundation.org/news/reporter-analysis/2010-10-iapa/index.dot __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">__ @http://vimeo.com/16220375 __ - interesting video

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">__ http://youtu.be/61uAlh59b5A __ interesting video

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Amanda Guerrero

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**Conclusion**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> For decades, the issue of drug cartels has played a prominent role in the world of Mexican journalism, becoming especially powerful over the past century. Mexican journalists try to confront the issue, as is the duty of a journalist. This has proven to be nothing short of a death sentence – the number of journalists killed as a result of drug-trafficking reporting continues to grow. Despite preventive measures toward protecting journalists, the issue of drug cartels remains dangerous grounds for reporters.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Mexican journalists are struggling to bring attention to drug trafficking organizations while subsequently upholding their personal safety. Some Mexican news organizations have specific guidelines for reporting on drug cartels. Other news outlets have taken other safety precautions, such as omitting bylines to protect their reporters.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Social media and technology have further changed the field of Mexican journalism. The most notably growing social media platform is Twitter, which offers real-time micro-reporting. This means journalists can provide a constant flow of short updates, which can be much more user-friendly and readable than publishing several full-length articles. Through Twitter and other social media platforms, the Internet opens up journalism on a global level, allowing both reporters and news consumers around the world to keep up with the ever-dangerous and ever-changing issue of drug trafficking in Mexico.