Mexico is among the most dangerous countries on the planet in which to practice journalism, particularly on the topics of organized crime and drug trafficking. In an apparent power struggle, however, Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel broke relations in early 2010 and went to war in the state of Tamaulipas and its bordering states, prompting daily shootouts, kidnappings, and mass slayings. Los Zetas, on the other hand, were formed in the late 1990s and early 2000s by former soldiers of the Mexican Army who were hired by the imprisoned Osiel Cárdenas Guillén to become the Gulf Cartel's new muscle. The Gulf Cartel, according to the United States Department of State, started in the 1930s as a bootlegging gang and later transformed into a full-fledged drug trafficking organization in the 1980s. This border area is a major route for human trafficking, arms smuggling, and for the international narcotics trade. The state of Tamaulipas is home to two transnational criminal organizations – the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas – who fight for control of the smuggling routes along the Texan border. The page had over 210,000 likes on Facebook in April 2013 on Twitter, Valor por Tamaulipas had approximately 24,400 followers. Several Internet users in Mexico, the United States, and in other countries around the world have shown their support for Valor por Tamaulipas' work and have followed their reports on Facebook and/or Twitter. According to crime journalist James Barger from InSight Crime, the information in Valor por Tamaulipas is 'spotty, sometimes unreliable, but often the only source of what happening'. Given the censorship, Valor por Tamaulipas was a popular outlet for crime watchdogs concerned with the violence in Tamaulipas. Most of the Mexican mainstream media outlets play down the violence because they fear reprisals from the country's criminal organizations. The information found at Valor por Tamaulipas is shared by Internet users themselves the administrator, on the other hand, was active almost all hours during the day and throughout the whole week. Given the high levels of drug-related activities in northern Mexico and in Tamaulipas, many Facebook users also check Valor por Tamaulipas to verify if there is a shootout in their area, to know in what part of a highway a carjacking took place, or to see if someone is reported missing. It frequently posts messages and photos of the criminal activities in the state, including but not limited to law enforcement in action, photos of alleged criminals, vehicles of reported extortionists, abandoned vehicles left on the roadside, roadblocks, arsons, oil theft activities, drug traffickers on the job, and the like. The page regularly posts messages and photos of crime scenes its goal is to report on drug-related violence and situations of risk in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The Facebook page Valor por Tamaulipas ('Courage for Tamaulipas') was created by an anonymous user on 1 January 2012 after getting his inspiration from other websites that anonymously reported the drug violence in Mexico. 5 Admin's retirement and new management.

In December 2014, however, the administrator announced his retirement from social media. His wife and children reportedly fled to the United States after the threats for security reasons, but the citizen journalist stated on the Facebook page that he had decided to stay in Mexico and continue updating at Valor por Tamaulipas. The administrator, however, openly defied the criminal organization's threat through Facebook. In early 2013, a Mexican drug trafficking organization issued fliers offering a reward of $600,000 pesos (US$46,000) for anyone that could give out information to locate the administrator of Valor por Tamaulipas or any of his family members. In a country where many journalists have been assassinated for writing about drug trafficking and organized crime, the page survives under anonymity, but it has not been immune to threats. With over 515,000 likes on Facebook, Valor por Tamaulipas routinely posted messages and photos of crime scenes on its page. It was founded by an anonymous user on 1 January 2012, and its goal is to share information with other social media users on the drug-related violence and risk situations all across the state. Valor por Tamaulipas ('Courage for Tamaulipas') is a Facebook page that covered security updates in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

Valor por tamaulipas