News reporting is not one of the easiest careers for anybody. It takes a certain talent, dedication and asking the right questions to get the story—not to mention knowing whom to trust for information. Reporting in another country also has its risks as well through being limited on where to report, to what to report about and trying to follow that country’s guidelines for gathering information. Each reporter has their own unique story about their reporting experience. One person is Alfredo Corchado who recently launched his book, “Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent into Darkness” and the event was hosted by AS/COA.
This book addresses not only the topics like politics and violence, but touches on issues of immigration, Mexico’s changes, and the experience of being an immigrant in the United States and then returning to homeland. It is also a book about love and redemption.
While talking about the book, there discussants asked questions about policy issue with a sense of up close and personal, the personal relations to journalists struggles, navigating a foreign country and the meaning of impunity. One topic that stuck out was the book having the themes of hope and impunity. Along with this idea, the question that was brought up was ‘what has changed in Mexico in the last decade or so?’ The discussants mentioned growth in the middle class, people’s participation, and many others, which are evident in any kind of research done on Mexico today. After discussing the book, there was a question and answer session from the audience.
