Peru: Student’s Death in the Andes Divides Media and Social Networks · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

Although finding the body of student Ciro Castillo Rojo [es] – who disappeared in the Colca Canyon mountain in Arequipa, a region in the south of Peru nearly seven months ago – put an end to the mystery about his whereabouts, the controversy regarding the unclear circumstances of his death has been revived. Above all, the finding has reintroduced a public debate over the involvement of his girlfriend, Rosario Ponce, who was also missing but was later found alive, and the role the media plays in similar cases.
The disappearance of Ciro Castillo Rojo was present in all of the Peruvian press headlines during these pasts months [es] due to the determination of his father, who never stopped searching and managed to get the attention of the public and local press after publicly announcing (in a TV interview) that his family no longer considered the case as a disappearance, but rather a murder [es].
In the headlines, the press have echoed these speculations and other theories related to the student's disappearance. Furthermore, unlike the thousands of registered disappearances in Peru, this particular case has managed to capture citizens’ attention and stay longer than usual in the media's agenda.
Flickr user The Advocacy Project commented in September 2011:
Local newspaper's front page, dedicated to the case.
[Ciro Castillo Rojo] has been missing for 5 months and his disappearance  has captivated the  nation, as opposed to the disappearance of more  than 15,000 people  during the internal armed conflict.
Twitter user Marco Antonio (@Markcopero) asserts:
@am@amigoperu76 la familia de Ciro tiene buenas influencias, por eso la prensa siguió el caso, al día se pierden miles y la prensa no informa
Regarding this issue, the Mazmorra de mi suegra [es] blog criticizes the great amount of media attention given to this case:
Desapariciones de personas ocurren todos los días [en el Perú], mas a ninguno jamás se le dio similar cobertura que al de Ciro Castillo, lo cual lleva a concluir que se trata de un reality show creado para acaparar la atención pública y distraerla de los problemas principales de corrupción que afronta el gobierno de turno.
Similarly, Ricardo Alvarado in AveCrítica [es] questions how Peru's justice system deals with these cases:
Es bastante sabido que la justicia peruana hace discriminaciones basadas en criterios de clase, raza y género… Basta con decir que el caso Ciro Castillo ha tenido la mayor concentración de recursos humanos y materiales que se recuerde en los últimos años:… Para los 16 mil peruanos desaparecidos durante los 20 años de violencia política, y para los desaparecidos en democracia -¿una decena? ¿un centenar, si contamos el Baguazo? la verdad es que nadie se ha ocupado de contarlos-, no hay fiscales viajeros, ni sinchis movilizados, ni helicópteros, ni escáneres 3D; sus familiares son sistemáticamente ninguneados; y sus peritos de parte suelen encontrar todas las trabas y dificultades imaginables, y algunas inimaginables.
Likewise, Twitter user Carlos (@DanBrownie) points out that other missing Peruvians have not been searched for with the same effort, and have even been forgotten. Carlos refers to a missing police officer during the armed conflict called ‘Baguazo‘ in Peru.
Me alegro que encontraran a Ciro pero ¿y el Mayor Bazan?
Local TV report. Screen capture.
The case also became a hot issue in social networks in Peru: all users seem to have taken a position, either favoring Ciro Castillo or Rosario Ponce, the surviving girlfriend who a lot accuse of being the possible murderer.
Mario Santander (@alois77) tweets addressing a former congresswoman:
@Rosario_Sasieta ojala ud. colabore para meter presa a la asesina basura de rosario ponce , Dra. charito
Jesús Gonzáles (@GsusGonz) gives his opinion on the hypothetical responsibility of Rosario Ponce in the student's death:
Yo creo que Rosario Ponce no es asesina pero ella tuvo que ver con la muerte de ciro #RosarioPonce
Lulu Lozada (@cofredelulu) recalls the right to presumption of innocence:
Se vulneraron los derechos de Rosario Ponce al sindicarla como  asesina.  Toda persona es inocente hasta que no se demuestre lo  contrario.
After finding the body, the word “Ciro” became a Twitter trending topic in Peru, and the debate over the role of the media intensified.
Simon Gonza Abad (@gonzaabadsimon) uses irony:
creo que gran parte de la prensa quiere que encuentren a rosario ponce culpable…. claro ps para tener mas titulares
Simón de Sirene (@H144000) believes that the press has gone too far:
La mayoria d la gente cree que Rosario es culpable porque los medios diariamente la tratan como asesina #PeriodismoDelincuencial@Capital967
Even themed blogs had something to say about the huge media coverage dedicated to this issue, like Luis Samanamud in Abrir Negocio [es]:
Ciro Castillo y Rosario Ponce, un negocio para los medios     de  comunicación… Muchos diarios y medios digitales por Internet      publican grandes titulares para vender sus publicaciones y por su   puesto    logran apreciables ganancias sin que esto signifique   beneficios para    los digamos autores, Ciro y Rosario…
José Aguilar (@Jose_Aguilar) also complains about the media coverage:
Ya no quiero ver más TV,hoy he sentido un asco indescriptible por todos  los canales, todos buscan hacer llorar a la mama de Ciro en su canal.
Giuseppe Bisso (@gbiss8) encourages people to start talking about some current important issues, like the accusations of influence peddling the second vice-president, Omar Chehade, is currently facing.
Ya apareció Ciro, ahora no se olviden de Chehade
This is not the end of this story: by the end of writing this article, forensic investigations continue, and we can suppose that Peruvians will remain interested. Nevertheless, there are some questions in social networks and in the media that will be, or should be, the starting point for discussions and debates not only in those networks, but also in the country's Colleges of Journalism and Mass Communication. Like Katherine Santiago's (@KateSV) question:
Si comprueban q #Rosario no es la asesina de #Ciro, los medios limpiarán su imagen o se harán los locos? #CHAN
Or Omar Zevallos’ (@Omarzev) question:
A partir del Caso Ciro, la prensa podría hacer un autoanálisis?
This story will surely continue. You can read more Twitter reactions in this Storify post [es].