[Smackdown] US Media vs. Mexico Travel Advisory

Media bashing Mexico is Fake News
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Editor’s Note: This is an opinion piece, in case there’s any question.

Why is it that every time I open my browser another journalist is bashing Mexico.

For the record, I am pro-Mexico because I lived in Playa del Carmen – and felt safer there than I did when I lived in Hartford, Connecticut.

In a Nutshell: A number of US media outlets published twisted – and inaccurate – information regarding US State Department Travel Advisories and Warnings, seemingly in order to make Americans afraid to travel to Mexico.

While we usually like to find a humorous spin on the news, this particular trend isn’t funny.

Being bombarded with news media reports on Mexico, you might think there are dead bodies laying all over the beach and filling the trunk of every car in Mexico…. A logical person knows this is not true.

This is what pisses me off:

Media outlets rushing to press without getting their facts right.

Media outlets identifying crimes that are far from popular vacation destinations.   Juarez is not near Cancun.   Just like Miami is not near Los Angeles.

Media outlets reporting deaths or murders without correctly identifying the victims as locals involved in the drug trade, not American tourists.

Media outlets skimming over similar crimes happening in their own city, every day.

There are currently zero U.S. State Department Travel Warnings against any destination in the state of Quintana Roo and there are zero Travel Warnings against any international tourist destination in Mexico. The State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico does not include any tourist or beach areas and reaffirms that all major tourist destinations in Mexico are safe,” a spokesperson for the Quintana Roo Tourism Board said in a statement.

Media outlets reporting people falling ill after drinking in Mexico, but DON’T report that over 20 million tourists visit Mexico annually WITHOUT getting ill after drinking……

The truth is that no one can guarantee your safety anywhere in the world, including in your own home.

Tourism is the primary economic driver in Mexico.

Many jobs depend on it.

Every responsible person in Mexico — takes the safety of tourists very seriously. The government, police, business owners and especially the wonderful people who are always willing to lend a helping hand.

You should be no more afraid of traveling to Mexico than you would be to visit New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles.

So the next time you see the US media click bait bashing Mexico, think ‘Fake News’. 

And remember we all agree that people (and situations)  have the right to be considered innocent – until proven guilty.

There I feel better. I have a lot of friends in Mexico — kind-hearted and hard-working people — who think all Americans believe they are criminals.

More Reading:

An excellent explanation from Conde Nast:
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/what-the-changes-to-mexicos-travel-advisory-really-mean

More fact-based articles:
https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Media-Confusion-Again-Surrounds-Mexico-State-Department-Travel-Advisory
https://www.travelpulse.com/news/impacting-travel/false-reports-claim-mexico-s-top-tourist-destination-unsafe.html

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About Trisha Miller - Editor-in-Chief 59 Articles
Trisha is also the Editor-in-Chief at Travel Writers Exchange, a community for travel writers & bloggers. She's also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, and a former member of the IFWTWA, serving on their Board of Directors from 2009 through 2015. When not traveling the world visiting the many all-inclusive resorts she loves, Trisha spends her time writing, mainly about travel and technology, sometimes both at the same time.
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