Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Monday, February 21, 2011

Censorship in Mexico?

If media avoid censorship by self control, what happens when someone gets out of control? Are there other countries where this would likely happen? Are there countries where it would not happen?

Mexican media's balancing act

Carmen Aristegui [is] one of Mexico's most easily recognisable journalists. Famed for her investigative reporting and all-star interview shows, Aristegui held a prime time slot with radio station MVS, where multitudes of Mexicans listened to her on their way to work.

All this changed... when Aristegui addressed an issue long-discussed on the Mexico City social media rumour mill: President Felipe Calderon's supposed problem with alcohol…

By the next Monday, Aristegui was clearing her desk, fired by MVS who said that she had broken their code of conduct by "broadcasting rumour as news".

The Mexican presidency has denied that it had anything to do with the sacking of Aristegui, but the resulting maelstrom has caused many to question the close relationship between government and the media in Mexico.

Aristegui herself claimed that the Mexican government pressured the radio station for her head…

Top Mexican political analyst Sergio Aguayo says that government censorship of media is still widely practised in Mexico, but strong arm methods have been abandoned for a more subtle approach.

Something as fundamental as the right to broadcast for a TV or radio station can be a bargaining chip used by the state…

As well as power over licences, advertising revenue from the federal government makes up a large part of the income of many major Mexican media outlets, according to Ricardo Gonzalez of Article 19, a London-based freedom of expression group. In some cases media outlets rely so heavily on these advertising contracts that they risk bankruptcy if the government decides to withdraw them…

Mexico radio host rehired after alcohol flap

Radio anchor Carmen Aristegui, one of the best-known news personalities in Mexico, has been rehired by the broadcaster that dropped her after she called on President Felipe Calderon to answer unsubstantiated rumors about his drinking.

Aristegui and MVS Communications issued a joint announcement... saying she would be back on her morning news show next week.

"The recent days have been instructive," the joint statement said. It said the station would establish an ombudsman's position to represent listeners and evaluate the ethical behavior of its employees.

MVS said last week that it had fired Aristegui for violating its ethics code, but did not elaborate...

Calderon administration officials denied any role in Aristegui's firing. There was no immediate administration reaction to word she was being reinstated to her weekday slot.

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Labels: human rights, Mexico, political culture