Censoring the news

Tracy Wilkinson, Mexico bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, writes about the trend of "narco-censorship" among Mexico's reporters:

It's when reporters and editors, out of fear or caution, are forced to write what the traffickers want them to write, or to simply refrain from publishing the whole truth in a country where members of the press have been intimidated, kidnapped and killed.

Closer to home, the teachers' union in Los Angeles plans to boycott the Los Angeles Times over a story that linked teacher performance to student test scores:

"You're leading people in a dangerous direction, making it seem like you can judge the quality of a teacher by … a test," said A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, which has more than 40,000 members.