Commemorative News in the Colombian Press: Recalling the Takeover of Mitú

Abstract

Kidnapping in Colombia is a disturbing event that not only bursts tragically onto the public stage and deepens the already prolonged and degraded armed conflict, but also fractures the media’s normal news agenda. An example of this was the emblematic guerrilla takeover of Mitú on November 1, 1998 on the eve of the peace process in Colombia’s San Vicente de Caguán region. The attack was perpetrated by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and resulted in the kidnapping of 61 members of the National Police. Based on a case study analysis, this article, which is the product of academic research, examines how the Colombian press remembered and commemorated this troubling event ten years after it occurred, as well as the meaning these commemorative practices and frameworks acquire in public space.