3 March 2009
Article URL: http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/opinion/opinion_article/want_to_go_to_mexico_think_again/3467
Editorial blog by Bernius on the University of Montana student daily providing commentary on the deteriorating situation in most Mexican border towns. Editorial essentially revolves around a travel advisory issued by the US State Department to warn spring break revelers about the potential hazards when visiting the towns, as well as tips to stay safe. While the State Department advice clearly states that a generally safe holiday in Mexico is possible by following a couple of simple smart-travelling guidelines, the overall slant of the article is one intended to convey a sense of alarm about the violence there, due to the impact of the cartel activities.
Some elements of the editorial tries to portray a sense of balance by including interviews with holiday-goers like Chelsey Bigler, and also University President Dennison, whose main narratives are that while there is violence, its concentrated enough not to disrupt plans or retuire the University to issue its on travel warnings. However, the other anecdotes have been selected to convey a clear and unambiguous message of danger, such as making references to CNN's Anderson Cooper and his coverage about the Mexican violence where victims heads were sawn off with saws bought from US departmental stores. This example certainly makes the two other interviews pale in comparison.
The other subtle but unmistakable narrative throughout the editorial is how the drug cartel problem is seemingly a Mexico-only problem, and because the Mexican authorities have so far done a poor job of managing it, the violence is slowly spilling into the States. There seems to be a hint of the US having to 'clean up Mexico's problems' with the remark about seven hundred individuals were recently arrested in the United States for connections with just one of the major drug cartels. An oblique reference to the US's role in the issue seems to be made with the statement about how 90 percent of the firearms used by the cartels were purchased in the United States. But in my opinion, this is a slur that conceals the broader issue that Mexico's drug supply is due to demand in North America. This point is completely omitted in the editorial.
On the whole, I find her blog lacking in the needed objectivity to present the situation in Mexico. While the violence are probably facts, more could have been done to present the complexity of the issue and how US drug demand is a central aspect of the misery in the border towns. Perhaps, fairness was never part of the agenda, but to dissuade UM students from holidaying there instead.
Article URL: http://www.montanakaimin.com/index.php/opinion/opinion_article/want_to_go_to_mexico_think_again/3467
Editorial blog by Bernius on the University of Montana student daily providing commentary on the deteriorating situation in most Mexican border towns. Editorial essentially revolves around a travel advisory issued by the US State Department to warn spring break revelers about the potential hazards when visiting the towns, as well as tips to stay safe. While the State Department advice clearly states that a generally safe holiday in Mexico is possible by following a couple of simple smart-travelling guidelines, the overall slant of the article is one intended to convey a sense of alarm about the violence there, due to the impact of the cartel activities.
Some elements of the editorial tries to portray a sense of balance by including interviews with holiday-goers like Chelsey Bigler, and also University President Dennison, whose main narratives are that while there is violence, its concentrated enough not to disrupt plans or retuire the University to issue its on travel warnings. However, the other anecdotes have been selected to convey a clear and unambiguous message of danger, such as making references to CNN's Anderson Cooper and his coverage about the Mexican violence where victims heads were sawn off with saws bought from US departmental stores. This example certainly makes the two other interviews pale in comparison.
The other subtle but unmistakable narrative throughout the editorial is how the drug cartel problem is seemingly a Mexico-only problem, and because the Mexican authorities have so far done a poor job of managing it, the violence is slowly spilling into the States. There seems to be a hint of the US having to 'clean up Mexico's problems' with the remark about seven hundred individuals were recently arrested in the United States for connections with just one of the major drug cartels. An oblique reference to the US's role in the issue seems to be made with the statement about how 90 percent of the firearms used by the cartels were purchased in the United States. But in my opinion, this is a slur that conceals the broader issue that Mexico's drug supply is due to demand in North America. This point is completely omitted in the editorial.
On the whole, I find her blog lacking in the needed objectivity to present the situation in Mexico. While the violence are probably facts, more could have been done to present the complexity of the issue and how US drug demand is a central aspect of the misery in the border towns. Perhaps, fairness was never part of the agenda, but to dissuade UM students from holidaying there instead.
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