A journalist comes under fire in Reynosa, north Mexico, 17 February 2009.
While the murder of three people linked to the US Consulate in north Mexico attracted the attention of the world's media, in the local press the incident went almost entirely unreported. Why? Because local journalists prefer to keep quiet rather than risk losing their lives. The task has now been taken on by web users, able to hide under an anonymous guise.
Cities like Reynosa and Ciudad Jaurez, where the murder took place, are considered by Reporters Without Borders as some of the world's most dangerous places for journalists to work. Located in the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas and sees daily violence between drug trafficking gangs, a total of eight journalists are thought to have been kidnapped or killed in a two week period earlier this month.
Intimidation, blackmail and corruption are the daily dealings of journalists who work in the region. For 500 dollars a month (360 euros), a few bottles of alcohol and the occasional prostitute, the drugs barons try to buy the silence of reporters.
As a result, local residents are unable to inform themselves by traditional means. In counter attack, web users post images of shootouts that haven't made it into the traditional press on their blogs, while Twitter is employed as a means of bearing witness to unreported crimes.
A journalist comes under fire in Reynosa, north Mexico, 17 February 2009.
