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Opinion
Accentuate the positive on Sonora
By Eduardo Bours Castelo Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.25.2005
advertisementWhat do the people of Arizona care about? They care about the economy and whether they will get or keep their job.
They care about whether their children are getting the education that they need. They care about their families and the future. So do the people of Sonora.
Sonora and Arizona not only share a common border, but a rich cultural diversity in many aspects of the heritage and lives of our residents.
A large and growing number of Arizona's residents can trace their heritage to Mexico. Many of them are from Sonora.
Last year alone, more than 6 million Americans crossed over the Arizona border into Sonora to shop, eat, vacation and conduct business.
In many areas, such as business development and real estate, investment in Sonora by Arizonans is up more than 25 percent from 2003 to 2004.
Every day, Sonoran hotels, restaurants, hunting lodges, beaches and conference centers are enjoyed by Arizonans.
And tens of thousands of jobs in Arizona (particularly in the retail, entertainment and telecommunications industries) have been created and continue to grow from the more than $3 billion spent there each year by the residents of our state.
Culturally, economically, philosophically, the people of Arizona and Sonora share many common interests.
So, with so many positive stories to tell (such as tourism in Sonora is up, not down), why would the Arizona Daily Star continue to focus its coverage of Sonora on crime in Mexico?
Although my government is working hard to combat crime at every level in Sonora - including the introduction of the "066" emergency response telephone system to complement your "911" program - the Star's coverage of recent events in Mexico misses the point.
The fact is that the people of Arizona - and Sonora - are safer in Sonora than they are in Arizona and many other states throughout the United States and Mexico.
You are more likely to have your car stolen or be the victim of an assault, rape or murderin many, many places other than Sonora.
Also, it seems unfair to report about crime in Mexico as if it were happening in Sonora. The United States of America has 50 states and the District of Columbia. The United States of Mexico has 31 states and a federal district.
Would it be fair and relevant for the Star to do its own reporting about the recent murder of a police officer in Washington, D.C., or the rape of an immigrant in Las Vegas?
How about the police brutality stories coming out of Miami or the corruption in Los Angeles? Of course not. The Star knows such stories are of minimal importance to its readers and gives them their proportionate placement in the paper.
So why then are crimes in Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Chihuahua and Mexico City any more relevant?
Although every crime in Mexico is a concern of mine, the Star's routine coverage of criminal activities in these other states in Mexico as front page news is unfair and unnecessary, especially in light of all the positive news coming out of our two states.
● Eduardo Bours Castelo is governor of Sonora, Mexico. Reach him through . 0 Comments on this story

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