The Massacre at El Mozote

Mark Danner includes endnotes for each chapter that list resources for further reading on the subjects that arise in the chapters of The Massacre at El Mozote. Choose an outside source recommended in these endnotes and read it. What does this source add to your understanding of the text and the events described in Danner’s book? What can be gained from further study on this situation?

One of the questions that inevitably arises when discussing journalism is where and how authorial bias becomes a factor. Does Danner seem to have an agenda in writing this book? If so, where do you see evidence of this agenda? Do you feel Danner is acting in good faith? Pointing to specific passages, explain why or why not.

One of the book’s major themes is that of credibility. Choosing a few of the accounts that Danner includes in the book, discuss what affects the credibility of each and compare and contrast them. Which account holds the most weight to you as a reader and why? What makes some of the other accounts and sources less trustworthy? Be sure to point to specific textual evidence.