The damage was minimal , but the message was understood . '' El Mañana '' took the attack as a warning from the Sinaloa Cartel that it wants coverage claiming that they are taking over Nuevo Laredo and beating Los Zetas , therefore making the Sinaloa cartel look " tough " and Los Zetas " look weak . " The problem is that if the journalists decide to favor the Sinaloa cartel or Los Zetas , they will find themselves threatened by one of the cartels . In other words , one cartel threatens if there is n't coverage ( Sinaloa cartel ) and the other cartel threatens if there is coverage ( Los Zetas ) . Following the attacks , '' El Mañana '' declared that it will no longer report on news relating to drug-violence . They may in fact be the first newspaper to publicly step down and stop covering all crime incidents involving stories of mafia groups fighting for control . The day that the editorial stepped down , 49 decapitated bodies were found along a highway near Monterrey , Mexico 's third largest city , and just 120 miles south of Nuevo Laredo . Most newspapers covered this incident , but '' El Mañana '' did not . Again , on 10 June 2012 , '' El Mañana '' suffered another grenade attack but only material damages were reported . In response to the attacks , the newspaper issued the following message to the public : Many Mexicans have been relying on social media chatrooms and sites like Facebook and Twitter as traditional media " self-censor in the face of cartel violence . " Moreover , due to the violent attacks the press has received in Nuevo Laredo , news media have practiced " self-censorship , " where local journalist prefer to silence the press and refuse to report on important incidents for fears of reprisals by the cartels . Events that would go on the front-page of any newspaper — mass murders with over six dead , shooting incidents wounding three soldiers — often go unreported in Nuevo Laredo . The cartels want the cities they control to appear calm in order to prevent the government from sending federal troops . Consequently , the press , tired of extortions and death threats , prefers to go silent because there is no guarantee for their safety
49 decapitated bodies
Cadereyta Jiménez massacre
2012 Nuevo Laredo massacres