ABSTRACT
Mexican politicians have always tended to deny criminal and security risks. For most of the twentieth century, it was a staple of state governors' policy. But during Mexico's War on Drugs this habit evolved until it became the accepted political communication strategy. Through it, politicians throughout the country used their economic and political power to characterize the territory under their jurisdiction as safe and secure. This chapter examines the front page of Sonora's leading newspaper, El Imparcial. It focuses on the type of criminal risk, the location of criminal risk and the type of source. The chapter explores how crime is reported in Sonora and how power relations are mediated by it. In late 2004, El Imparcial raised the stakes in its confrontation with Bours by hiring Jimenez, a young Sonoran reporter who already had experience in Sinaloa, then the most dangerous place for practising journalism in Mexico.
