bajabound2005
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Are U.S. News Reports Biased against Baja California?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Are U.S. News Reports Biased against Baja California?
By Brian Flock
The Recent Fuel Crisis Hints at Manufactured Hysteria and Jaundiced Coverage
Baja California, Mexico, has been on the receiving end of a wave of negative news over the past year – including the real, the distorted, and the
completely manufactured. A handful of violent crimes involving foreigners became a barrage of one-sided, singularly heavy-handed critiques of the
region. Furthermore, gangland-style violence common to urban areas of California and greater United States’ cities became somehow intriguing and
newsworthy when it occurred south of the border. Footnotes regarding violent crime on the nightly news in the United States became major headlines
when it occurred in roughneck neighborhoods south of the US/Mexico border.
This ongoing trend of negative news towards the United States’ southern neighbor became especially apparent during this month’s Baja California “fuel
crisis.” On June 11, I included a section in my monthly newsletter regarding the dramatic price differential between fuel in Mexico and California
where gas was approaching US$5.00 per gallon, and diesel had already surpassed that threshold. My point was to simply catch readers’ attention by
showing them one nominal perk of a visit to Baja California. I saw the difference as notable but there was certainly no obvious invasion across the
border for cheap gasoline.
Then on June 14 The San Diego Union-Tribune, the original instigator of the supposed crime wave against tourists in Baja California, began the story
of a purported run on fuel throughout the northern Baja California region by United States’ citizens. The implication of the story was that U.S.
citizens suddenly started a mad dash south of the border in order to save between forty and fifty percent on fuel. On June 14 they were “heading” into
Mexico. On June 15 they were “swarming” into Mexico. By June 18 there was a “mad scramble.” (See chronology media sidebar on the fuel crisis.)
The culmination of the slanted news barrage seems to have peaked on June 19 when Reuters news service released an article titled, “US motorists dodge
bullets for cheap Mexican fuel.” My normally unflinching reaction to the ongoing fare of negative press articles on the Baja California region was
finally jolted.
The headline instantly struck me as utterly outrageous in its assertion. The press had either perfected a conspiracy to berate the border region, or a
group-think fueled by its own fumes had perfected the art of distorting facts. In fact, the self-fulfilling prophecy of the media was later doused by
a single tanker shipment of diesel to the region.
As a northwestern Mexico local whose profession has me traveling up and down the coastal corridor of Baja California, I did not observe any of the
aforementioned shortage until I went to purchase gasoline on June 18 at the largest and most profitable AM/PM service station in the world, located in
southern Rosarito less than a kilometer south of the historic Rosarito Beach Hotel. (This was four days after the story of cheap gas first broke in
The San Diego Union-Tribune.)
I was astounded to see possibly a hundred or more vehicles waiting to receive diesel from the only two pumps in operation. Of the scores of local
buses and trucks waiting in line, I viewed precisely one fair-haired gringa with a pickup full of materials who I visually considered to be an
American. Yet her fully loaded and tied down Dodge Ram pickup bed indicated that she was a regular visitor and not a casual tourist enticed into
Mexico by low fuel prices as indicated by the media. Nor was she dodging a single bullet. Instead she stood outside of her cab and leaned against the
driver’s door with boredom as she waited for the line of trucks to advance.
Meanwhile I filled up the tank with regular gasoline at just over US$2.50 and waited fewer than thirty seconds in order to be attended. Clearly the
crisis related to not gasoline but diesel trucks with much larger tanks with a much more significant impact on the region. I have little doubt that
the crisis on diesel was in fact created by the media, not simply reported by it. Fear created by the news seems to have created the diesel crisis.
What is the United States’ media bias against Baja California and Mexico? I can’t answer with certainty but it is downright distorted and out of touch
with reality from the perspective on the ground overlooking the Coronado Islands.
Date U.S. Media Headline Reprinted articles
June 14 Tijuana's mayor in town
[San Diego] for tourism Zero
June 14 Drivers head into Mexico for fill-ups
June 15 U.S. cars swarm Tijuana stations
June 17 U.S. motorists tap out gas stations
June 18 Run on diesel fuel creating public
transit crisis in Tijuana
June 19 Shrinking fuel supplies causing
mad scramble
June 19 US motorists dodge bullets 300
for cheap Mexican fuel
Brian Flock, a Mexidata.info guest columnist, is a degreed and certified real estate broker in Baja California, Mexico. Founder of the Baja Fair
Trade registry, he may be contacted at Baja Ocean Realty or (619) 793-5224.
Friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel.
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surfer jim
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Brian also wants to sell you a Rosarito time share condo.....(there is some truth to what he is saying about the news)......
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CaboRon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by surfer jim
Brian also wants to sell you a Rosarito time share condo......... |
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DENNIS
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The problem lies in the amateurs and their childish reporting techniques, not to mention the fish wrapper San Diego Union being without competition
and apparently in no need of quality control. It's journalistic guidelines are those of the National Enquirer.
That said, it doesn't mean the crime scene in Baja hasn't deserved honest press and that doesn't mean reporting on it once and forgetting about it.
Americans are so self-indulged, we tend to quickly forget that which doesn't affect us personally. We need to be reminded. Too bad that
responsibility is left to the only newspaper in San Diego. They should hire Nancy Conroy.
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Woooosh
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Nah. It's the other way around. They handle Mexico with kid gloves. No one wats the Mexican Army paying a visit to their homes lstateside like just
happened in Phoenix. If the media told the truth about Mexico- in blunt terms that Americans would understand instaead of politically correct
double-spin speak, Mexico would a lot worse off tourism wise.
This reporter lives in Baja. Wonder how much he's been threatened by the narcos. Maybe he's trying to win the governments favor? Mexico is the
second deadliest place in the world for journalists- maybe this is his insurance policy to stay alive.
Stay tuned for the same reporters upcoming story "Don't go to Vegas- Tijuana Casino provides world-class gaming experience!"
[Edited on 6-30-2008 by Woooosh]
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
Nah. It's the other way around. |
I'll concede that it's both ways.
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Eugenio
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Brian's a dope. The mexican press releases much more news about crime in Mexico than the american press does. Crime is headline stuff practically
every day. On the border essentially all news is (at least tangentially) tourist related .
Fact is if Brian lives in Mexico the government would not allow him to report too much negative stuff about Mexico - they would "encourage" him to
leave or just run him out of the country for participating in political activities - or some other trumped charge.
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fulano
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajabound2005
Monday, June 30, 2008
Are U.S. News Reports Biased against Baja California?
By Brian Flock... I have little doubt that the crisis on diesel was in fact created by the media, not simply reported by it. Fear created by the news
seems to have created the diesel crisis. |
Actually, the real reason for the diesel crisis was published in the local Mexican newspapers the other day. I don't post all the news I read, as many
have accused me of being too negative. Here is the reason published in the newspapers, and I am paraphrasisng from memory:
Pemex has a structured delivery system to local gas stations in Baja. They maintain about a 70-day supply in their huge storgage tanks in Rosarito.
Their computerized delivery schedule is programmed to deliver about 25 million liters of fuel per month to the stations. The demand has been about 30
million liters per month. The local station owners have been telling Pemex for months to increase their delivery schedule to 30 million liters per
month. Pemex, wallowing in its mediocrity, did nothing. The surplus fuel in each station's tanks slowly went down until they ran dry.
Instant fuel crisis. The news of the fuel crisis caused drivers to refuel even more often and this further exacerbated the problem.
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jls
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Yes, news reports are biased against Baja but all news reports are biased! The truth is always hard to find.
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DENNIS
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So, I guess we have to define the difference between "bias" and "malice." Anybody care to do that? I've gotta go.
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jls
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"Malice" is harder to define than bias, I think. Is it malicious to have a hidden agenda to promote or debase an idea or a culture for self,
coorporate, or societal gain? Therefore, we need to think....is this malicious bias or is it banine? There has been and are many reasons for the
U.S. news to malign and create a attitude of fear of other countries not just Mexico or Baja. I am definitely not stating that I believe there are
not many problems throughout the world but fear mongering is a pretty transparent tactic to control populations.
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Woooosh
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was that a biased defintion of malice? 
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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jls
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yes 
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wilderone
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I listened to the news regarding relatively cheap gas across the border and purportedly, how US citizens were filling their gas tanks, and how some
stations were running out of gas, or that stations were limiting the number of gallons per car so that they wouldn't run out. The interviewees were
generally people who filled up several times a week, making such a mission worthwhile. I didn't see that the news reporting was malicious or biased
-- and there was, of course, the implication that you too, can cross the border and buy gas if you haven't thought about that. Anything for McNews.
The people crossing the border for gas are not going to go far - all the prices are the same. So Mr. Flock possibly was not at the gas stations
closest to the border where Frequent Gas Buyers were filling up. Nobody would make a special run to Rosarito to buy gas. And yes, Flock is a realtor
in Rosarito, so he has his own agenda. And what's interesting about reading good news - "Everyone In Tiny Hamlet Leads Normal Lives"; aint gonna sell
papers. We've heard for 30 years that yes, real estate is cheaper in Mexico and maybe you'd like to think about retiring there. No news there. But
what is changing is the number and manner of deaths; and the rapidly changing landscape and the political and socioeconomical forces behind those
changes. The drug wars, with Tijuana as one of the territorial bounties, is real and should at least be recognized so when you come across that body
on the side of Blvd. 2000, you can put it in perspective. To not acknowledge bad news is to suppress information which may be malicious in that the
purpose is to keep people stupid so they will walk down the golden path paved for the purpose of ensnaring them into - what else - a condo purchase.
ok - 999 posts. What happens when you hit 1,000?
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wilderone
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And one more thing - who wants to wait in line and re-cross the border to save - what - - $28 per tank? Not worth it.
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Mango
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| Quote: | Originally posted by wilderone
And one more thing - who wants to wait in line and re-cross the border to save - what - - $28 per tank? Not worth it. |
Well, if they only made minimum wage at $5.85 per hour (It gets raised to $6.55 per hr on the 24th of July) $28 per tank would be about 5 hours of
work. Owch.
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bajabound2005
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Interesting...no one is arguing the sequence of HEADLINES that occured in the SDUT during that period....it seems "inflammatory" to me!
Oh, and if you cross at certain times...there is little to no wait!
Friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel.
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