Criminals or Martyrs? Mass media, truth and the display of drug barons in Mexico

• In Event: Faking Justice? Technology and Social Media in the Fabrication of Truth in Mexico

Abstract

In December 2009 Arturo Beltrán Leyva, one of the most sought-after heads of the Mexican cartels, was killed by the Mexican marine. The federal police released pictures of Beltrán’s remains. In the photos the body lies shirtless on a sheet on the floor, with the pants down and underwear exposed; in the image, the corpse is covered with blood, jewelry and dollars and pesos banknotes. The disturbing esthetics and theatricality of the setting opened up a discussion about the authenticity of the material. The federal police, short thereafter, declared to have manipulated the scene for the photo shoot.
Similar debates on the ambivalent effect of mass-media display of detained drug traffickers and the 'truthfulness' of evidence surrounded the killing of Nazario Moreno González in 2010 and 2014, and the detention of Édgar Valdez Villarreal, aka 'La Barbie' in August 2010. These cases are helpful to debate on the fabrication of truth and the ambiguous sentiments regarding drug barons. The Mexican state depicts criminals as savages and promotes their public humiliation. Yet, this process has an unintended outcome: it undermines the institutions and credibility of the state, whereas mass media portrays detained criminals as fallen heroes.

Author

• José Carlos Gómez Aguiar, Leiden University