How Many Words is a Life Worth? Media Coverage and Local Context of Homicides in Mexico

Abstract

Given the magnitude of organized crime violence in Mexico, mass media cannot cover its victims except selectively. But what are their selectivity criteria? In this exploratory quantitative analysis, we examine a possible understudied explanatory factor: classism, that is, possible indifference toward poor victims. Specifically, we focus on whether media attention to lethal violence varies depending on the social status of the victim, as measured indirectly by the median income of the municipality where they were murdered. Based on original data on homicide reports from the national newspaper Reforma (during the first four months of 2017), we find a strong centralist bias, since this newspaper pays disproportionate attention to Mexico City, but not a classist bias, since its coverage of homicides does not systematically discriminate between rich and poor municipalities.