Primary Source News: Suspected Mexican drug lord arrested

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Suspected Mexican drug lord arrested

Suspected drug cartel leader Jesus Mendez Vargas was arrested by Mexico federal authorities in the central Mexican state of Aguascalientes. Vargas is believed to be the head of the notorious cartel La Familia, and is known by "El Chango" or "the monkey".

Photo from official government of Mexico web site.

Mexican Security Spokesman Dr. Alejandro Poiré gave a statement on the arrest, calling the arrest a major victory in the government's efforts against the cartels, and predicting the end of La Familia.

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Mission Statement

In historical scholarship, a primary source is a document, sound recording, video recording, original work or other source of information that was created at or near the time being studied, often by the people being studied. In this sense primary does not mean superior. It refers to creation by the primary players, and is distinguished from a secondary source, which is a historical work, like a scholarly book or article, built up from primary sources.

Given that in the modern age we have vast amounts of information available, the question often arises, "What can we know for sure?" The Internet and information technology have made primary source materials more widely available than ever before, yet the presentation of the news is too often commentary with little substance.

The interviews, government documents, statements, art and images we are providing represents the raw data that is the news. A picture of the news that only examines primary sources is, of course, incomplete. But a picture that only involves debate and opinion may lose sight of what the story actually is.