by Corvidaerex » Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:12 pm
Oaxaca has been going through variations of this for many years. Despite the wealth of the city -- it's a HUGE tourist draw, but doesn't feel that touristy -- the people of Oaxaca state are some of Mexico's poorest. This time, it looks like something might really change. I hope it's for the best.<br><br>(I had a family event to attend in Oaxaca this fall, but it has been canceled due to "unrest." As my plane ticket isn't refundable, I'm going to take a solo trip down in October. It's a great place, and the many reports I've received from travelers and teachers and aid workers all say it's a remarkable scene with the whole old city occupied.)<br><br>There has been some national and international coverage. The BBC and the Economist have done several stories, the Houston Chronicle (which actually covers Mexico pretty well) has run plenty of stories, and I've heard things on PRI, NPR, etc. Reuters also has filed quite a few stories.<br><br>It's less a matter of "censorship" -- the story is certainly out there, easy to find, including Al's kickass site -- than the perception and/or fact that American news "consumers" are farkin' idiots.<br><br>Having worked in a lot of newsrooms over the years, I can bet that there's one or two editors or producers trying to get this on the nightly news or the front page, and they're being dismissed by a bunch of old hacks who are arguing that "Americans can't even pronounce Oaxaca, let alone know where it is." And that's true, but part of the reason is because American news feeds them such trivial bullshit.<br><br>(And yes, this Jon Bonet stuff is trivial bullshit. Melodrama. Murder porn. Crap to make you forget about Iraq and Afghanistan and Lebanon and the collapsed housing market and the nose-diving US economy and the Rx drugs that explode your heart and the $3.25 gasoline.)<br><br>I would say, "Call the editors and producers and complain," but you're already complaining in a far more effective way: by not watching network news and not subscribing to newspapers.<br><br>Those audiences are dropping by 3%-10% every YEAR. As this site and so many others prove, the Mass Media has lost the masses.<br> <p></p><i></i>