Lorne Matalon’s Mexico Stories
Lorne Matalon has been reporting from Mexico for The World since November 2007. He has covered the Mexican ‘war on drugs’ from the frontlines, going on patrol with the Mexican armed forces. Lorne also covered immigration and economic stories from south of the border. He has also reported from Venezuela for The World. Previously he worked at NPR Member Stations WUNC and WBUR, also filing for NPR from Haiti, Panama and Mongolia. Lorne is a contributor to National Geographic’s Ethnosphere Project and a National Fellow at the Explorers Club of New York.
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Mexico’s drug war comes to Guatemala
February 10th, 2011
Mexican drug traffickers have worked their way south into Guatemala. The Guatemalan army has been trying to beat them back. But some Guatemalans there feel loyal to the drug cartels. Which have provided services – even security – that the Guatemalan government hasn’t delivered.
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Slideshow
Colorado River water rights
April 9th, 2010
Under a longstanding treaty, the Colorado River irrigates 3 million acres of farmland and supplies water to 30 million people in the United States and Mexico. Between population growth and a decade long drought, the Colorado is under such stress that Western states – desperate to maintain water supplies – want to purify agricultural runoff currently diverted into Mexico. But as The World’s Lorne Matalon reports, Mexico covets that water, because it has given birth to a productive wetland.
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Saving a river along the US-Mexico border
Feb 22nd, 2010
Arizona and the neighboring Mexican state of Sonora are two regions divided by an international border but united by a common need: water. Both are dry, and getting drier. Water has been a source of squabbling across the US-Mexico border for generations. But on one river that flows across the border, people are starting to work together to restore parts of the river.
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Photo gallery: Saving a river
Mexican Mennonites
Dec 23rd, 2009
Chihuahua is by far Mexico’s most violent state, riven by almost daily murders linked to Mexico’s drug trade. But Christian Mennonites, who above all are pacifists, are also a part of the state’s tapestry. The World’s Lorne Matalon traveled to Chihuahua to meet some of them.
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Photo gallery: Mexican Mennonites
Mix of politics and drugs
June 30th, 2009
A mayoral candidate in Mexico has said publicly what just about every Mexican knows to be true — the drug cartels have thoroughly contaminated Mexican politics. But this candidate is caught on tape.
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Before the election
June 29th, 2009
Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon will be watching his country’s upcoming local elections very carefully. That’s because his conservative party is trying to win Congressional seats and Calderon wants to make sure he has enough support to fight the country’s rampant drug problem.
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Collateral damage in the drug war
June 23rd, 2009
Complaints about human rights abuses by the military are on the rise. Civilians are getting caught in the crossfire as the Mexican army battles drug lords.
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Fighting corruption
June 12th, 2009
Lorne Matalon reports on the Mexican government’s battle against drug traffickers and official corruption in the central state of Michoacan.
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Photos from Michoacan
Drug cartels still in action
May 28th, 2009
Mexico’s violent drug cartels didn’t simply pack up and go home when the H1N1flu arrived. In fact they’re just as active as before. The World’s Lorne Matalon reports that the government has once again stepped up its attempts to beat back the cartels.
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Flu politics
May 4th, 2009
Lorne Matalon reports on some of the political fallout from the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. Some opposition politicians are criticizing the government for not reacting fast enough to the outbreak, or for overreacting. President Felipe Calderon has defended his government’s actions as swift and appropriate.
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A doctor’s day in Mexico City
April 30th, 2009
The World’s Lorne Matalon profiles a pediatrician in one of Mexico City’s hospitals. The doctor is struggling to care for his young patients and protect his own health amidst the swine flu outbreak.
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Swine flu concern grows
April 28th, 2009
Many parts of the world are concerned about the same thing: swine flu. The World’s Lorne Matalon has the latest from the hardest-hit country so far — Mexico.
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Drastic measures in Mexico City
April 27th, 2009
The World’s Lorne Matalon has the latest from Mexico City on the swine flu outbreak there. Mexico’s capital has essentially closed down, as authorities try to stop the spread of the swine flu virus.
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Lorne’s photos from Mexico
Outbreak of swine flu
April 24th, 2009
At least 16 people in Mexico have died from what officials there say is a strain of influenza that originally came from pigs. Meanwhile, swine flu is also being reported in the southern United States. Anchor Katy Clark speaks with The World’s Lorne Matalon in Mexico City.
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NAFTA stays as it is
April 21st, 2009
Lorne Matalon reports on how Mexico is reacting to the Obama Administration’s decision not to seek a renegotiation of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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Mexican cartels active in Panama
April 16th, 2009
Mexico’s drug cartels have already expanded their operations into the United States. Now they’re also expanding south into Central America. From Panama, The World’s Lorne Matalon reports.
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Obama visit to Mexico
April 15th, 2009
President Obama is visiting Mexico to meet with President Felipe Calderón before they both take off to attend the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad & Tobago. The World’s Lorne Matalon reports.
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Juarez border war
March 17, 2009
Juarez, Mexico, a stone’s throw from El Paso, Texas represents an important business center for the United States, supplying dozens of U.S. companies with auto parts, electronics and other manufactured goods. But the city is under siege, a fact acknowledged by the Obama Administration, which is crafting contingency plans to send the National Guard to the border if conditions deteriorate further.
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Audio slideshow: Buddhism in Mexico
March 14th, 2009
Lorne Matalon visits a touring display of ancient Tibetan relics in Mexico City and tells us how Buddhism is gaining popularity in mostly-Catholic Mexico. Narration and all photos: Lorne Matalon.
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Audio slideshow: Saint of Death
March 22nd, 2009
Mexico is experiencing a horrifying wave of violence. So it’s not surprising that the religious cult, Santa Muerte – or the Saint of Death – has gained a following. Narration and all photos: Lorne Matalon.
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Mexico City dries up
Feb 11th, 2009
Lorne Matalon reports that Mexico City is running out of water. Experts say the only solution is to change the water use habits of the area’s 20 million residents.
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Audio slideshow: Mexico’s thriving art scene
November 7th, 2008
Lorne Matalon explores Mexico’s thriving art scene which has been attracting more and more foreign-born artists. Narration and all photos: Lorne Matalon.
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Audio slideshow: Mexico kidnapping
October 16th, 2008
With an escalating war between Mexico’s drug cartels and the government, security is the number one issue as Mexico prepares for midterm elections next year. But adding to fears expressed by many Mexicans is a recent surge in kidnapping with victims from all social classes. Narration and all photos: Lorne Matalon.
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Update: In December 2008 the Mexican authorities told the family featured in this slideshow that they’ve positively identified remains found recently in the Mexico City area as those of abducted Silvia Vargas Escaleras.
Mexican view of the U.S. elections
October 21st, 2008
Mexicans watched the U.S. presidential race closely, with polls showing a split along socio-economic lines that mirrors that of Mexican society itself. But the vast majority of Mexicans surveyed say they support the Democratic Party.
Transcript with pictures
Patrolling the border
May 8th, 2008
In 2007 the United States deported a record number of undocumented Mexicans, but authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border say Mexicans seeking jobs continue to cross into the United States every day. People from other countries including Russia, Bangladesh and South Africa have also been caught trying to get into the U.S illegally. Lorne Matalon accompanied a patrol in southern Texas.
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The drug war in Juarez
May 5th, 2008
The border area between the United States and Mexico has become so violent that the State Department issued a travel alert in April 2008. The warning says, “A war between criminal organizations for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the border. Foreign visitors, including Americans, have been among the victims.” It’s one thing for visitors to avoid the border cities or at least to be alert to their surroundings. It’s another thing for the folks who live there.
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On patrol with the Mexican army
March 13th, 2008
President Felipe Calderon made the fight against drug cartels a national priority. He’s ordered the Mexican Army to spear-head the effort. That means soldiers are heading into drug cartel territory to track down traffickers and destroy illegal crops. Lorne Matalon rode along on one such mission, in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa.
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Press freedom on trial
February 7th, 2008
Mexico is not the most dangerous country for journalists, other nations compete for that dubious distinction. But Mexican reporters do risk their lives when they cover the nation’s drug traffickers. And some of them face intimidation from government officials unhappy with their work. The World’s Lorne Matalon reports on one case in the latter category that could end up before the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
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Mexico’s Other Immigration Problem
January 31st, 2008
Mexican President Felipe Calderon is in the United States this week. His trip comes at a delicate moment. U.S. presidential contenders are calibrating their positions on illegal immigration. Calderon accuses the candidates of using Mexican migrants as “symbolic hostages.” He condemns the persecution of Mexicans here. But some accuse Calderon of being hypocritical. They say the way Mexico treats Central American immigrants is nothing to be proud of either.
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Mexico’s corn farmers
January 15th, 2008
It’s been 14 years since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect. Farm trade between the United States and Mexico immediately soared. It’s now four times what it was the year before NAFTA was signed. Two weeks ago, the few remaining trade restrictions on farm goods were dropped. U.S. officials is calling the move a win for farmers in both countries. But the reaction south of the border is quite different. Mexican farmers are taking to the streets in protest. The World’s Lorne Matalon reports from Xochimilco, Mexico.
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