Details, details

From University of Wisconsin-Madison student Royston Sim:

Check out this link to an article about raging Mexican drug war in the NY Times. Several things made this article stand out for me. First, the writing is crisp and to the point. By the third graf, Marc Lacey strikes home the main point of the article: that there is a pervasive problem within Mexico's institutions.

The article is comprehensive -- someone without any prior knowledge about the drug war would gain a clear picture of the overall situation at present, its roots and how it has evolved. Lacey aptly employs subheads to transition from point to point, and this makes the article easy to follow and digest.

There are many voices in this story, from the soldier in the streets up to President Felipe Calderon. The article also boasts ample figures that provide context and a sense of the power struggles. For example, there were "6,200 drug-related killings in 2008, up more than 100 percent from 2007, and the more than 1,100 so far in 2009." Another nice detail: someone at Mexican customs dabbing Vicks VapoRub on the nose of a drug-sniffing dog.