Narco News
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2016) |
Narco Newsis an online newspaper that covers the "War on Drugs"and social movements throughout theAmericas.Its articles are available in English and Spanish, with some translations in Italian, French, Portuguese and German. It is funded by the Fund for Authentic Journalism.
The founder and editor ofNarco Newsis the American journalistAl Giordano.The web magazine currently[when?]has correspondents inBolivia,Brazil,Mexicoand otherLatin Americancountries.
Major news reports
[edit]Banamex v.Narco News
[edit]In 1996, the Mexican newspaperPor Esto!began running reports thatRoberto Hernández– at the time the president of the Mexican bankBanamex– was trafficking cocaine on a property he owned nearCancúnin the Mexican state ofQuintana Roo.Por Esto!'s publisher, Mario Menéndez, was subsequently sued for libel in a Mexican court. The court found that Menéndez had not libeled, a decision upheld on appeal. A third appeal was made and thrown out of court.[1]
Narco Newsbegan publishing the same story in English from its website, allowing the story to reach a wider audience. This culminated in a publicity tour in New York, including a forum atColumbia Universitywith both Giordano and Menéndez in attendance. Banamex then suedNarco Newsand Menéndez together, maintaining that because potentially libelous information in the news stories was repeated in New York, and that the operators ofNarco News'web host were headquartered in New York (although the servers were in Maryland),[1]New York therefore had jurisdiction over the matter.[2]
Aside from the propriety of a foreign company filing a case in New York for libel against its president, the case also raised several questions over the rights of websites:[1][2]
"If the National Bank of Mexico can sue a website published from Mexico, over stories investigated, reported and uploaded from Mexico, and sue that website in New York, that would set a dangerous precedent that chills free speech throughout the internet. If you say something that a large corporation doesn't like, not only can you be hauled into court in Mexico, but you can be hauled into court anywhere in the world."
— Al Giordano
Because of the potential ramifications of the case, TheElectronic Frontier Foundationoffered itself asamicus curiae.[2]Thomas Lesser,who had previously beenAbbie Hoffman's lawyer in his case against the CIA, representedNarco Newswhile Giordano represented himself.[1]Mendéndez hiredMartin Garbusas his lawyer, although the court found that it did not have personal jurisdiction over Menéndez.[3]
TheNew York Supreme Courtfound thatNarco Newshad not libeled; in fact, the court had not been offered any evidence to refute eitherPor Esto!orNarco News'claims. The court set a precedent when it found thatNarco News,despite being a website, was similar enough to traditional media that thefirst amendmentapplied to it and similar sites as it did any other news-based media.[2]The text of the decision reads:[4]
"Narco News, its website, and the writers who post information, are entitled to all the First Amendment protections accorded a newspaper-magazine or journalist... Furthermore, the nature of the articles printed on the website and Mr. Giordano's statements at Columbia University constitute matters of public concern because the information disseminated relates to the drug trade and its affect [sic] on people living in this hemisphere... "
— Judge Paula J. Omansky
House of Death
[edit]Narco Newswas the first publication to investigate the cover-up of the "House of Death"mass murders in 2004, which involved anU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE) informant assisting a cell of the Juarez Drug Cartel in planning and carrying out the murders of multiple people as part of a U.S. government-sponsored deep cover operation. In the wake of publishing a series of reports on the House of Death case, theinvestigative journalistBill Conroy received intimidating visits at his office and his home, and a visit to his employer from officers by ICE officers, an event that prompted a letter by CongresswomanCynthia McKinneyreprimanding United States AttorneyJohnny Suttonfor "an attempt... to intimidate a journalist who has reported facts that are embarrassing to him".[5]
References
[edit]- ^abcdSean Dodson (25 June 2001)."Hacks hit in drugs war".The Guardian.
- ^abcdMichael Overing (2 April 2002)."Lessons from the NarcoNews Ruling".Online Journalism Review.
- ^Cynthia Cotts (19 December 2000)."Drug War Goes on Trial".Village Voice.
- ^"Text of the decision Banamex vs. Narco News".Archived fromthe originalon 21 February 2011.Retrieved21 January2011– via Electronic Frontier Foundation.
- ^"Letter of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney".From the Wilderness.5 July 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 25 November 2005.Retrieved25 May2007.
External links
[edit]- Narco Newswebsite
- "Speaking Truth to Citi's Power: Interviews with Citi's Critics",Multinatinal Monitor,April 2002
- "Drug War on Trial",The Nation,Mark Shapiro, 17 September 2001