Making Sense of Drug Violence in Mexico with Big Data, New Media, and Technology

Cato at Liberty Blog, 3/13/2013

Unfortunately, one of the biggest casualties from the bloodshed that besets Mexico is freedom of the press. Drug cartels have targeted traditional media outlets such as TV stations and newspapers for their coverage of the violence. Mexico is now the most dangerous country to be a journalist. However, a blackout of information about the extent of violence has been avoided because of activity on Facebook pages, blogs, Twitter accounts, and YouTube channels.

A Cato Institute event earlier this week highlighted the work of two Mexican researchers on this topic. Andrés Monroy-Hernández from Microsoft Research presented the findings of his paper, “The New War Correspondents: The Rise of Civic Media Curation in Urban Warfare,” which shows how Twitter has replaced traditional media in several Mexican cities as the primary source of information about drug violence. Panelists also included Javier Osorio, a Ph.D. candidate from Notre Dame University and Karla Zabludovsky, a reporter from the New York Times’ Mexico City Bureau.

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Manning is found guilty for having leaked U.S. documents (Spanish)

Milenio, 2/28/2013

El soldado Bradley Manning se declaró hoy culpable de filtrar documentos clasificados a una tercera parte no autorizada, pero no de ayuda al enemigo, la acusación más grave a la que se enfrenta.

El acusado de la mayor filtración de documentos secretos de la historia estadunidense a WikiLeaks reconoció a través de su abogado civil, David Cooombs, haber poseído y transmitido a personas no autorizadas información clasificada.

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Facebook page in Mexico draws attention for posts on security risks

Los Angeles Times, 2/19/2013

A Facebook page in Mexico has notched tens of thousands of followers for posting detailed but unconfirmed updates on security risks in the drug-war hot zone of Tamaulipas state. Now, purported assassins have declared a bounty on the head of the page’s anonymous administrator. In response, the Facebook author said the page would not stop gathering and publishing information on shootouts and highway blockades because the Tamaulipas authorities and local news outlets offer nearly zero updates on so-called “risk situations.”

The person behind Valor por Tamaulipas posted a photograph last week of a reward notice that was said to have begun circulating in several Tamaulipas cities calling for information leading to the page’s author or relatives. The flier makes an offer of 600,000 pesos, or about $47,000, for information and includes a cellphone number with a Tamaulipas area code.

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Mexico Institute Event: Access to Information and Accountability: A Global Context

Mexico Institute, 10/2/12

October, 11^th, 2012

8:30 am to 12:30 pm

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

   6^th Floor Auditorium

   RSVP Here