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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Living with wildlife Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Expect up to two-hour delays on I-5 near Cottage Grove on Sunday Anonymous local makeup artist dolled up Monica for trial Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Medford robbery suspect arrested after pursuit in Bend Dispose of documents and prescription drugs safely on Saturday Emergency services Teenager struck, killed by pickup Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. 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Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Agriculture Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Our View: Buildings belong with the Jackson County Library District Letters to the Editor, April 24 Michael Gerson: 'The Road to Character' starts with humility Arthur I. Cyr: Japan-U.S. trade deal advances, with Pacific and global significance Letters to the Editor, April 23 Editorials Our View: Buildings belong with the Jackson County Library District Our View: Public's right to film police should be protected Our View: Raises for Jackson County officials — again Other Views: Delay edible marijuana products for safety Our View: The rule of law vs. armed confrontation Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 24 Letters to the Editor, April 23 Letters to the Editor, April 22 Letters to the Editor, April 21 Letters to the Editor, April 20 Columns Michael Gerson: 'The Road to Character' starts with humility Dana Milbank: The right's new claim: same-sex marriage is deadly Kathleen Parker: Mr. Hughes goes to Washington Esther Cepeda: What happens in Latin America should be reported Kathleen Parker: Presidential election 2016: The woman trap Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Lifestyle Latest stories Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Fishing Report: Friday, April 24 Get Out: Friday, April 24 View from above Untold stories of the dark-eyed junco Food Community blog: Oregon Breweries to grow or seriously to grow? 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Brent St. Germain: One year and counting Community blog: The Healing Power of Nature Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Milestones and Achievements Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Alba's Edge at Headwaters in Ashland Regional brewers, distillers, winemakers at Harry & David Field A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Britt adds Watkins Family Hour concert with Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Fiona Apple and others Theater 'Secret Love' playwright Stan Lai appears in Ashland REVIEW: 'Secret Love' strikes comical, poignant balance Ashland New Plays Festival chooses new artistic director A tale of two plays at OSF Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland Music Alba's Edge at Headwaters in Ashland Britt adds Watkins Family Hour concert with Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Fiona Apple and others Alex de Grassi and Andrew York play SOU Live Music in Local Clubs L.A. rockers The Relationship play Howiee's Community Events Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Regional brewers, distillers, winemakers at Harry & David Field A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Third Fridays celebrates poetry, student art Movies Movie review: ‘Ex Machina’ is the droid you’re looking for Movie review: Fairly smooth sailing for ‘The Water Diviner’ Movie review: ‘Age of Adaline’ is sweet but a little sloppy Movie review: Powerful, tense kidnapping story ‘24 Days’ delivers a strong message Movie review: Crowe’s historical drama ‘The Water Diviner’ isn’t divine, but it’s pretty darn good Dining Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Have you wandered down the Bear Creek Wine Trail yet? Restaurant inspections: April 19, 2015 Siam Cafe offers 'mild' to 'very spicy' Thai cuisine Restaurant inspections, April 12, 2015 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Buildings belong with the Jackson County Library District ... Saving money, making money with trout ... Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute ... Our View: Buildings belong with the Jackson County Library District ... Saving money, making money with trout ... Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute ... ANOTHER VIEW Esther Cepeda: What happens in Latin America should be reported MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Apr. 21, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Here's a shocking news story you probably haven't heard about: American soldiers and contractors based in Colombia are alleged to have sexually assaulted dozens of young girls between 2003 and 2007, with some of the attacks being taped and sold as pornography. These accusations were included in an 800-page report released in February by the Colombian government and the rebel group FARC, detailing their 50-year-long conflict, which they are negotiating to end. The allegations appear to have been first reported in English by Colombia Reports, a news outlet based in Medellin in late March. According to Colombia Reports, Renan Vega of the National Pedagogic University in Bogota, one of the historians who researched the document, said "there exists abundant information about the sexual violence, in absolute impunity thanks to the bilateral agreements and the diplomatic immunity of United States officials." Colombia Reports continues: "The historian cited one 2004 case in the central Colombian town of Melgar where 53 underage girls were sexually abused by nearby stationed military contractors 'who moreover filmed [the abuse] and sold the films as pornographic material.' According to Colombia's leading newspaper, El Tiempo, the victims of the sexual abuse practices were forced to flee the region after their families received death threats." These shocking and infuriating accusations did not reach me through any of the three major national newspapers I read in-depth daily, or the five or so news sites I check in with every day. I heard about this February report for the first time just days ago listening to a podcast of NPR's "On the Media." The topic: blind spots and underreported stories. According to Chris Allbritton, a reporter at The Daily Beast who began covering the story in April, one of the reasons it has taken so long for this story to get its legs is because although the report has been around since February, the accusations against U.S. staff didn't get attention until the week leading up to Easter, when Colombia largely shuts down for the religious holiday, which hampered U.S. reporter inquiries. Allbritton also noted what every Hispanic in the United States has bemoaned time again: "The U.S. English-language media has traditionally had a kind of blind spot when it comes to Latin America. I don't actually know why, I've always found it rather curious, but for whatever reason they're just not that interested unless they're regional papers, like maybe The Miami Herald or the L.A. Times, who serve a large Spanish-speaking population." It's true. Though Latin America's countries are economic partners, as well as the ancestral home of the largest minority in this country, the region usually gets short shrift from U.S. news media. Even when our presidents travel south of the border to engage in meetings about security, immigration, drug and human trafficking — issues that are important to Americans — the coverage is often scant or one-note. President Obama attended the seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama City last week during which governmental transparency, the expansion of broadband Internet infrastructure and goals for climate-resilient energy development were on the agenda. But if you looked for coverage of the summit, the event that made headlines was Obama's handshake with Cuba's Raul Castro. Important, yes, but not the only thing that mattered. Allbritton closed his remarks on the lack of reporting on the Colombia rapes by acknowledging that the story is finally starting to get some traction in the U.S, which has supported the Colombian state in its fight against drug trafficking and leftist rebel groups like the FARC and ELN. Stars and Stripes, the independent newspaper of the U.S. military community, got Christopher Grey, a spokesman with Army Criminal Investigation Command, to promise, "U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command will, after coordinating with Colombian authorities, initiate an investigation into any credible allegations of sexual assault or criminal acts committed by U.S. soldiers while in that country. We take the issue very seriously and will aggressively pursue all credible allegations." We must insist on continuing coverage of this story from our media. In a globalized society, Latin America cannot continue to be a blind spot for Americans. Our interests in the region demand more attention. Esther Cepeda's email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter, @estherjcepeda. 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