In an article by Martha Silva published by POPLab, the outlet describes La Nota Roja (released in English as The Red Note) as a bilingual true-crime podcast narrated by journalist Lydia Cacho that examines femicides in Ciudad Juárez beginning in 1993 and the economic and social context that allowed violence and impunity to take root and expand beyond the border region.
POPLab situates the series in the early 1990s, when bodies of murdered women began appearing in the desert outside the city, and notes that the podcast explores roughly 25 years of material, drawing on press coverage, case files, and interviews. The article says the series includes voices from former officials, journalists, analysts, and, most centrally, the families of victims.
Director Craig Whitney is quoted describing the podcast’s scope as more than a set of cases, framing it as a broader account of the city and a recurring national pattern. In POPLab’s phrasing, Whitney explains that the story of the podcast “is the story of Juárez,” and that while the way the problem manifests is distinctive in the city, the dynamics of investigations and interactions between victims and governments repeat across Mexico.
The POPLab piece highlights that each episode opens with Lydia Cacho, and notes the production’s emphasis on connecting the Juárez cases to wider systems, including human trafficking. The article also identifies journalist Alicia Fernández as the interviewer for the series and notes that many people in Juárez (Fernández included) have lived alongside these cases as part of the city’s recent history.
POPLab outlines the series’ structure around four emblematic cases in Ciudad Juárez, naming families whose testimonies serve as narrative anchors: Norma Andrade (and her daughter Lilia Alejandra), José Luis Castillo (and his daughter Esmeralda), Dora Venzor (and her daughter Andrea), and Silvia Banda (and her daughter Fabiola). The article describes each testimony as both an oral history of a family over time and, collectively, a sociological account of femicide as a phenomenon.
Fernández is quoted reflecting on her experience revisiting long-covered cases through direct conversations with families, including families connected to the “Campo Algodonero” cases. She describes Ciudad Juárez as an early “laboratory” of violence that later reproduced elsewhere, and points to the spread of similar patterns – corruption, impunity, and compromised processes – into other states.
The POPLab article also lists several interview participants featured in the podcast, including Eve Ensler, journalist Blanca Carmona, and forensic specialist Oscar Maynez, among others.
On the production side, POPLab reports that the project was initially conceived as a feature film, but the podcast format enabled the team to expand the story beyond the constraints of a 100-minute runtime. The article describes how the production team sought multiple perspectives – families, experts, academics, and officials – while also observing everyday life in Juárez during weeks on the ground, including their impression that residents were often hospitable and supportive despite the surrounding violence.
POPLab includes an incident during early reporting when the production team was at an office building that was shot at; no one was injured. Whitney is quoted saying the event “wasn’t fun,” and the article notes his comment that the team did not want to use that episode as promotional material.