Mexico
Mexico citzens turn to social media to report terrorPosted Oct 3 2011
In a country where reporters are silenced by threats and fear of retaliation, the Mexican people are turning to citizen journalism to report the terror in their country. Social media is replacing the gaps in information blackouts that have resulted from a threatened and intimidated press. Consequently, citizens have been left in the dark and in danger. According to a New York Times article, the Mexican people are turning to Twitter and other social media to report the violence and send warnings.
“Many Mexicans now say they trust Twitter more than local news outlets, and in some areas, parents and grandparents are being taught by their children how to get online — specifically so they can be safe,” the article said.
Although the Web makes it more difficult for drug cartels to impede the dissemination of information, the cartels are openly accepting the challenge. In an attempt to intimidate and silence social media users, the drug cartels are making a public statement for “Internet snitches,” as one note left by two mangled bodies in Nuevo Laredo read.
Just this past week, another journalist was killed in the same city for her social media postings.
Marisol Macias Castaneda, a newsroom manager for the Nuevo Laredo newspaper Primera Hora, was found decapitated in Nuevo Laredo along the Mexican border, according to Associated Press reports. A handwritten sign next to her body revealed that Castaneda, who is believe to be an administrative employee, not a reporter, was apparently killed by drug cartels in retaliation for her posting on the website Nuevo Laredo en Vivo, or Nuevo Laredo Live.
“The site prominently features tip hotlines for the Mexican army, navy and police and includes a section for reporting the location of drug gang lookouts and drug sales points — possibly the information that angered the cartel,” the AP article said.
The message found next to her body referenced her nickname on the site, La Nena de Laredo, or Laredo Girl.
A posting on the site after her death with the nickname states, “…this happened to me because of my actions…” and ends with “ZZZZ,” which is believe to reference the Zetas drug cartel that dominates the area.
Citizen journalist reports on Twitter and Facebook lack accuracy checking, leading some government officials to believe the postings may cause more harm than good.
Last week, Veracruz passed Mexico’s first social media law, which makes it a crime to undermine public order through social media, according to the New York Times article. The law came after false Twitter reports said that a school was under attack in Veracruz, which resulted in panic and chaos as parents rushed to the school. The two who posted the messages were charged with terrorism and sabotage.
Blaming the victim has become a common theme in Mexico, where citizens are forced to adapt their lives around the dangers created by the drug cartels. It is ironic that the new law addresses the citizen’s power to undermine public order and create chaos when the initial incident was a response to the fear ignited by the cartels who do just that.