International criminals, and local stories that charm

Nothing enlivens a crime story like celebrity—as anyone who continues to pay attention to Bobby Brown’s periodic drug-related convictions can attest—but rarely do criminals first gain celebrity status through their crimes. A New York Times story today glamorizes the arrest of an alleged drug dealer from Mexico, who is represented as more diva than druggie. The article on the arrest of Sandra Avila Beltran describes the woman’s attractive appearance, her expensive taste in clothes and her ascension in the world of drug traffickers through a combination of charm and seduction. The focus on the Avila Beltran’s many trysts within the drug world seems to show the bias of a male reporter; it seems as though her family connection to the drug world ought to have received greater emphasis. In the effort to create a compelling narrative, the reporter also shies away from attributing the sources of much of his information, which seems unfair to the arrested—but not yet convicted—criminal. However, a paragraph toward the end of the article that describes Avila Beltran primping before the filming of her arrest reads just like a movie scene, and one gets the sense that Avila Beltran would have no problem with the article’s flattering attention.

A much smaller story—but equally captivating—is that of a French class that has been taught for thirty years in Virginia—to many of the same students. The Washington Post article does not at first seem to promise much: it begins by revealing the striking situation of a French class taught to a now-elderly group of mostly women by the same instructor over the course of 30 years. Then, however, it notes that the classmates are not best friends. They do not see one another outside class, and they still address each other using the formal “vous” pronoun. As a reader, you wonder, at this point, where the story is. But as the article develops, it reveals the importance of the constancy of the class to its members and to its instructor through passing references to the hardships faced by its students and their commitment not to leave the class unless forced by illness or death. It’s a good community story presented in a national paper, one that anyone can appreciate.

In The Boston Globe an article covers a meeting between the parents of a slain teenager and Governor Deval Patrick. While the article has many quotes from the mother of the teen, it notes that Patrick did not stay to speak to the press after meeting with the family yesterday. However, the article also neglects to get the family’s perspective on the effectualness of the meeting.

Another article on Patrick in The Patriot Ledger also lacks important information. An article on the governor’s visit to Quincy to discuss his plans to improve Massachusetts public education mentions controversy involving the children of illegal immigrants paying different tuitions to state colleges but does not elaborate on the situation. The article describes the meeting as a “town-hall style” one, but it neglects to include any points of discussion or questions raised by residents. Was there no one there openly criticizing the governor? Since the article does mention Patrick plans to raise taxes to accomplish his plan, it would come as a great surprise if residents did not have questions about where there money would be going.