Look... I'm not at all an "alarmist" when it comes to travel and we go just about anywhere including places that might be considered less than safe.

But the argument you have attempted to make here is just beyond silly. Long term crime averages, over time, have literally nothing to do whatsoever, with what is happening in a moment in time (i.e. right now, today). Yes, historically crime in this destination has been lower than the citieis you are quoting. But that does not mean, ipso facto, that exogenous events cannot occur that change the "norm" even if just for a few weeks or months. Would I travel to Ecuador? Yes. Am I scared to go to Ecuador? No. Would I travel there right now for vacation? No, probably not. Why? Because I go on vacation to relax and enjoy myself and frankly, right now, it just doesn't seem that fun to me. I don't go to places I won't have fun in just because I have non-refundable tickets or something. There are plenty (and I mean plenty) of cool places to go in this world so, for the moment, I see know real reason to travel to Ecuador at this moment. Would I go in the future when this blows over? Sure, but that decision, frankly, has exactly zero to do with the long term homicide rate in New Orleans.

I think the media does have a tendency to lead with fear mongering articles, that attempt to paint a place as being more scary/dangerous than it really is, just as you've pointed out. But I also think there are some FTers that suffer from a similiar (but they think "honorable") malady in the other direction and attempt to paint a picture that there is never anything bad going on, again in a moment in time, that might be worth pause or reconsideration.

And for the record, if what was happening in Ecuador which, without question, is different that what is happening in Baltimore, Detroit, or New Orleans, on a daily basis was happening in those cities I probably wouldn't visit them either, unless I had to.

Regards

P.S. For the record, I do agree with the consensus advice to the OP that given their trip is still months out, I'd likely wait it out a bit as things could change/stabilize quickly.