Peña Nieto's number magic on murder rates in Mexico State

A most recommended read from The Economist's The Americas blog: The governor's miraculous achievement. The title, regarding Peña Nieto's supposed achievements in drastically reducing the murder rates in Mexico City, is more than suggestive: Miracles just ain't what they seem.

This year Enrique Peña Nieto, the outgoing governor of Mexico state and the early front-runner in next year’s presidential election, used his September 5th informe to mark the unofficial launch of his presidential bid. Prominent in his address was the stunning claim that the murder rate in Mexico state had fallen by more than half during his six-year term... The claim is absolutely false.

Read original here.