Although reporting on issues in Mexico can be dangerous, it is still very necessary, according to speakers at the ninth annual Paul J. Schatt Memorial Lecture.
Alfredo Corchado, Mexico bureau chief at the Dallas Morning News, and Angela Kocherga, border bureau chief at Gannett Company Inc., shared stories of danger and development regarding current situations in Mexico at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Tuesday night.
“Ninety-six percent of murders in Mexico are never solved,” said Rick Rodriguez, Southwest Borderlands Initiative professor and discussion moderator.
There are 70-75 criminal organizations throughout the country, and every 24 hours a journalist gets attacked, Corchado said. Natives are at risk as well. Since 2006, 100,000 people have been killed or have disappeared in Mexico, he said.
“The cartels aren’t necessarily more powerful, but they became more dangerous,” Corchado said.
Kocherga said blurred lines between government establishment and criminal groups play a role in supporting these criminal organizations.
The Mexican people living through these dangers are faced with the choice to stay and join the gangs or to escape into the United States, Kocherga said.
“There are ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things,” she said. “Real progress is when the people feel it is safe enough to come home.”
Kocherga is an Emmy award-winning journalist for her work covering the southwest border and interior of Mexico. She said the issues in Mexico receive very little broadcast coverage.
“I feel like people just think of Mexico as a hot bed for violence and death, and although certain areas are infamous for that, there are also many areas where there is little-to-no violence,” Marc Steiner, a sophomore journalism student, said. “The country as a whole is unfairly judged because of the negative things that make it into the spotlight.”
Kocherga reported on the institutions in Queretaro, Mexico, that provide opportunities to learn engineering and build parts for the aerospace industry. Students don’t pay for tuition or materials, rather the state government pays for half and aerospace companies pay for the other half, she said.
She also explored the areas of Mexico dedicated to restoring security and the redevelopment of towns that were damaged by criminal organizations. These families were forced to flee by gang members who took over the property and used it for criminal activity, she said.
Kocherga said these progressive acts often make her feel like she is reporting on “two different Mexicos.”
Corchado recounted his time reporting during the regions most dangerous period of drug wars, human trafficking and running and success stories of a nation in transition in his book “Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent into Darkness.”
He experienced the powers of violence first hand when he received a notice that he was on the hit list of one of the most vicious drug gangs in existence.
“If they really want to kill you, they are going to do it,” Corchado said.
Instead of becoming victims to the fear, the Dallas Morning News decided the importance of journalism was paramount, Corchado said. They decided to report on the perils of Mexico and encouraged other newspapers to join them in this venture, he said.
“The reason why we take the risk is because we believe stories matter, and we hope they will humanize,” Corchado said.
Contact the reporter at randrew3@asu.edu.
