Senores des cartels, que devons-nous écrire ?

Senores des cartels, que devons-nous écrire ?

C’est un message sans précédent qu’a fait paraître le journal El Diaro de la ville de Juarez. L’éditorial s’adresse aux cartels de la drogue, qui ne se privent pas d’abattre journalistes et photographes de presse, et il leur demande : “Que voule-vous que nous fassions et écrivions” ? “Dites-nous comment vous voulez que nous fassions notre travail…”

Dans le Guardian du 20 septembre 2010.

«A respected Mexican newspaper has asked drug cartels for guidance on how not to offend them following a photographer's murder, deepening alarm that drug-related violence has stifled media freedom.

»El Diario de Juárez, the leading daily in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, published a front-page editorial yesterday titled “What do you want from us?” – addressed to the narco-traffickers.

»Calling them “señores”, the paper asked what news it should and should not publish following last week's shooting of a photographer, the paper's second murdered journalist in two years. “We want you to know that we are communicators, not mindreaders. We do not want more deaths. It is impossible to carry out our role in these conditions. Tell us therefore what is expected of us.”

»In a blunt admission of Juárez's lawlessness, it said: “You are, at present, the de facto authorities in this city because the legally mandated authorities have not been able to do anything to keep our colleagues from continuing to fall, although we have repeatedly demanded they do so.” Even in war, there are rules to protect media workers, it added. “Therefore explain to us what is wanted of us in order to stop paying the price with the lives of our colleagues.”

»The paper, which until now has chronicled the US border mayhem in detail despite fear and intimidation clamming up other media organisations, was shocked by the 16 September gunning down of Luis Carlos Santiago, 21, a photographer, and the wounding of an intern, as they left the office for lunch.

»El Diario had not decided to censor reporting, for now it merely wanted to know what cartels considered out of bounds, Rocio Gallegos, a news editor, told the Guardian. “We want to know what their view is and that will inform our decision-making.” The editorial was aimed as much at the government as drug lords, she said. “We are alone here. There is no state of law.” Neither officials nor narco-traffickers had yet responded, said Gallegos. “We have no idea if we are going to get any answer.” […]

»Many print and broadcast outlets have restricted coverage of drug violence to brief accounts that avoid identifying organisations and individuals. In some cities, notably Reynosa, shoot-outs in broad daylight go completely unreported.

dedefensa.org