A reporter returns to a border town riven by a drug war. August 9 I've been dreading coming to Reynosa for weeks. I tell myself that if I stick with the immigration story I'm working on and don't do any reporting on the drug war, I'll be safe. Two of Mexico's most ruthless drug cartels-Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel-are battling for control of this city and the surrounding state of Tamaulipas, a prized smuggling corridor. [continues 2420 words]
The National Media Invades El Paso-And Gets The Story Wrong. On March 25, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 rolled into El Paso to report on Mexican drug-cartel violence. Cooper was one more in a recent wave of national news heavy hitters to parachute in, scare the pants off millions of viewers, then jet off to the next headline destination. Dressed in military green, Cooper furrowed his brow and squinted solemnly into the camera as the lights of the international border checkpoint glimmered behind him. Guest Fred Burton, identified as a terrorism and security expert with Stratfor Global Intelligence, was beamed in from a studio in Austin to paint a menacing picture of Mexican cartels invading U.S. city streets. "It's just a matter of time before it really spills over into the United States unless we shore up the border as best we can," Burton warned. [continues 3738 words]
