Cartels kill to silence web whistleblowers

The last cryptic message posted on the internet by someone calling themselves "NenaDLaredo" read: "hunting d ratzzz, if you see where they are expose them xfa! [sic]" On Friday - the day after the message was posted - journalist María Elizabeth Macías Castro, who did indeed call herself NenaDLaredo, disappeared. On Saturday the half-naked and decapitated body of the 39-year-old was found next to a Christopher Columbus monument in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas state.

Along with her remains was a computer keyboard and a message that warned: "I am here because of my reports and yours."

Macías was a news editor at Primera Hora, a daily in Nuevo Laredo. The newspaper belongs to the mayor of the city bordering Laredo, Texas. None of the newspaper's executives have so far come forward to issue any statements, given their fear that they will be targeted. In fact, the news of the journalist's murder has not been published by many newspapers in the region; only a few tentatively reported that the police had found the body of a murdered woman.

Drug cartels in the region, which have managed to silence newspapers and radio and TV stations, now appear to be taking revenge on those who post items on websites and social networks.

In addition to her job at Primera Hora, Macías participated in Nuevo Laredo Live, an online portal where the first thing that stands out is a logo with pictures of police cars and symbols of the Federal Police and armed forces. The website also features phone numbers of the police and other law-enforcement agencies so that people can report crimes. In a tribute to NenaDLaredo, someone posted on the website Monday: "RIP 1972-2011 NenaDLaredo. You will always be in our hearts."

Nuevo Laredo Live is a site that encourages citizens to complain through online forums. NenaDLaredo moderated and published such material, with messages such as: "Yesterday the SEDENA [army] rescued six hostages, and detained a scourge. Please continue with your tips. Graxxias [sic] for your reports."

Macías' murder occurred 10 days after the bodies of two young men were hung from a Nuevo Laredo bridge with messages warning that those who use similar social networks to denounce criminals will be targeted. In both cases, the warnings were signed by the narco group Los Zetas.

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has criticized President Felipe Calderón in a statement for "lacking the political will needed to implant a strategy to end the violence, administer justice and ensure full freedom of the press."

The situation of journalists in Mexico is critical. Tamaulipas, where different cartels fight for drug control, is not the only state where the media has minimized its coverage of organized crime.