Murder in Guatemala

I know that I've written several posts about the murder rate in Guatemala in recent weeks. It is frustrating that the Guatemalan and international media keep writing about murders increasing in Guatemala when they are not.

It's not that I want them to write that things are rosy in Guatemala, they certainly are not. However, here are a few suggestions for how they could better characterize the situation.

While the murder rate in Guatemala has declined the last two years, it remains one of the most violent countries in the world. (True)

While the murder rate in Guatemala has declined in 2010 and 2011, it is not clear that overall violence including robbery, assault, rape, extortion, etc. is lower. (Not sure, but is more accurate than what people are writing)

While the murder rate in Guatemala continues to decline, citizens do not perceive the security situation to have gotten any better.

A decrease in the murder rate from ~50 to ~40 per 100,000 looks better on paper than it does on the streets of Guatemala.

Any other suggestions?

I'm hoping that the murder rate continues to drop in October, November, and December, but after reading the local papers the first few days of this month, I'm a bit worried.