About Lorne Matalon

Matalon, Lorne has been reporting from Mexico for The World since November 2007. He has covered the Mexican government’s offensive against the country’s increasingly brazen drug cartels from the frontlines, going on patrol with the Mexican armed forces and investigating the power the cartels wield in many Mexican states. Matalon has also covered immigration and economic stories from south of the border. He has also reported from Venezuela, Panama and the U.S.-Mexican border for The World. Previously he worked at NPR member stations WUNC (Chapel Hill, NC) and WBUR (Boston, MA). Matalon has also filed for NPR from Haiti, Panama, Mongolia and Ft. Bragg, NC. Matalon is a contributor to National Geographic’s Ethnosphere Project and a National Fellow at the Explorers Club of New York. He is a graduate of Middlebury College and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Stories

Digital media stories published elsewhere by Lorne Matalon:

  • Guatemala: When a feared drug cartel is better than the military. [edit]
    When a brutal drug cartel is better than the military As Guatemala heads toward the conclusion of a violent federal election campaign, the government is claiming success in its offensive against a Mexican drug cartel which infiltrated its northern highlands. For two months this year, the army laid siege to the province where the gang has been muscling in on trafficking routes, once controlled solely by Guatemalan cartels. The offensive's now been called down, but the military presence remains -- and so do questions about its effectiveness. Photo Gallery: http://alturl.com/4avsb
  • US visa laws lightened for Cuban artists [edit]
    On his first visit to Latin America President Obama said he'd like to start a path of normalizing relations with Cuba. While visiting Mexico City, Mr. Obama also implied that the frozen relationship would not thaw unless Cuba relaxed pressure on political dissidents. At the same time, Mr. Obama has allowed more Cuban artists--even those openly critical of U-S policy--to come to the United States. This story is pegged to the visits of three well-known artists and musicians, all of whom have differing opinions on the delicate dance Washington & Havana are engaged in.
  • Mexico: Human Rights & Press Freedom [edit]
    This is a profile of one courageous journalist's battle to expose police corruption, manipulation of both the media and the lives of those who speak out against abuses of power by government and an explanation of how this landmark case came to the world's attention. The fact the journalist is a woman in a machista society complicates an already horrendous breach of human rights, one which is being examined by lawyers internationally.
  • Reworking the US-Mexico Water Treaty [edit]
    The Colorado River has been nearly tapped dry as a consequence of exploding populations in the southwest border region combined with the voracious appetite of American agribusiness. Mexico and the U-S are now negotiating a decades-old water sharing treaty. If successful, the revamped treaty could provide a model for conserving a vital but finite resource.

Writing

Content on this site written by Lorne Matalon (includes contributory writing):