Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat
To a casual observer relying on mainstream media the Mexican state of Tamaulipas would appear very safe, because according to the media, no violence occurs in "Tamps".
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Discussed is the media blackout in the state of Tamaulipas on the Texas-Mexico border where reporters have been killed, kidnapped, threatened and the offices of the Mexican news outlets bombed.
To a casual observer relying on mainstream media the Mexican state of Tamaulipas would appear very safe, because according to the media, no violence occurs in "Tamps".
This is a video of interactive discussion at the Austin Texas Film and Music Festival. The discussion is headed by a panel of three. This event was sponsored by The Texas Observer who brought the issue to an international audience in Austin and titled the event
Life on the Line: Tweeting the Drug War highlighted the bravery of citizen reporters living in Tamaulipas,the most censored state in Mexico.
Tamaulipas is the most censored but also the birthplace of citizen reporting which since 2010 has become a phenomenon and the trail blazer for other "hot" regions in Mexico, made so because of organized crime activity and turf wars. Initially beginning on Twitter as #ReynosaFollow and remains the place to access to access real time news.
The panel speaks of Tamaulipas being the country's most innovative when circumventing the media blackout as citizen reporters in Reynosa became anonymous pioneers in creating systems using social networks to collect and share information of shootouts, blockades, and conflicts that would be unknown otherwise.
The day following this conference all hell broke loose in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, and almost like proving a point the Mexican media did not report on the clash that killed up to 50 people, reported by citizens, and journalists off record.
The following day the Tamaulipas Attorney General announced through a statement that a conflict had occurred that took 2 lives and injured 1.
Below is a video of the Austin conference, it runs a little slow at first but becomes very interesting and informative especially for those readers that can't understand the reality of a black out media state, which Tamaulipas is.