Eight Years After the Acteal Massacre, a Time to Create an Other Journalism

A Letter from Quetzal Belmont in Mexico

By Quetzal Belmont
Radio-Audio Coordinator, The Other Journalism With The Other Campaign

December 22, 2005

Dear Readers,

I believe that the history underway in Latin America is of great importance in the context of global social-political events. And specifically here in Mexico, where on January 1 “The Other Campaign” of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation will begin, of which reporting – not just by the Mexican “duopoly” of Commercial Media – will be vital.

Quetzal Belmont interviews a farmer in Bolivia’s Chapare region. Photo: D.R. 2005 Noah Friedsky

That’s why we invite you to colaborate with us by making a donation of any size to make possible another kind of coverage of this “Other Campaign.” The donations made to The Fund for Authentic Journalism are what permit we who form part of the Narco News team to do our work; in order to pay the costs of transportation and other expenses allowing us to donate our labor in the places where the news occurs.

A year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to collaborate this way with the Narco News School of Authentic Journalism, by producing radio reports from Bolivia; specifically with the coca leaf growers and about the persecution against them. The situation was a “well known secret” made silent by the interests that ran that country. Other colleagues demonstrated the problems through video documentaries, written reports and also via radio.

I think that the Narco News school is a necessary tool for the construction of other forms and possibilities of communication. That’s why it must exist. Beyond the space of information that each day grows wider and brings knowledge and vision to more and more people around the world there is also the pleasure of publishing the news and connecting the different languages in which one can have access to this information.

Quetzal Belmont at the 2004 Narco News School of Authentic Journalism in Bolivia (left to right: Egberto Chipana, George Sanchez, Vladimir Flores and Quetzal Belmont) Photo: D.R. 2005 Noah Friedsky

Today, December 22, marks eight years since the Acteal massacre in Chiapas, about which many questions still go unanswered, but above all much pain. Seeing the tint of coverage by some news organizations, for me it is necessary to stop and think and to rethink those forms of “communication” that give censored and mediatized news to the people.

For those reasons, once again, this invitation comes to you to collaborate with we who are trying to create new forms of journalism, to generate other possibilities, routes and tools of communication.

Please make your donation, of any size, today, online, at The Fund for Authentic Journalism website:

http://www.authenticjournalism.org/

Or, send a check to “The Fund for Authentic Journalism” at:

The Fund for Authentic Journalism
P.O. Box 241
Natick, MA 01760 USA

An affectionate salute,

Quetzal Belmont
Graduate, Narco News School of Authentic Journalism (Bolivia 2004)
Radio-Audio Coordinator, The Other Journalism With The Other Campaign

Click here for more Narco News coverage of Mexico

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