Writing in the Global Post, reporter Mike O'Connor writes that the notoriously violent cartels are using rather unorthodox methods of media relations:
The drug traffickers, flawed as they are, understand the power of media and public relations.
In addition to pressuring newspapers, the cartels extensively sponsor musicians who play a type of folk music that is dedicated to praising the illegal activities of the cartel. Narcocorrido is a genre in which ballads glorify cartel bosses as modern Robin Hood-types.
This is quite sad. One of the things I wonder about is how public relations can play a role in revitalizing cities like Ciudad Juarez which have been devastated by the narco wars.
Once the drug debacle in Northern Mexico is resolved (I believe it will come to some sort of resolution in 15 years) Mexico will have to convince people to return to cities that have been characterized as no-go zones. It will be interesting how this plays out. It will be a form of post-crisis communication unseen. An interesting clip on Narcocorridos:
