Mexico: Press Freedom

Back in the fall, I wrote a blog about how the Mexico government botched a high speed rail project from Mexico City to Queretaro as only 1 company put in a bid, and it was later discovered that that 1 company had built a $7 million dollar home for the President's wife. Woops.
http://fulbrightguero.blogspot.com/2014/11/beyond-tacos-political-turmoil-in-mexico.html

That was the second blow to President Enrique Peña Nieto's popularity. The other was the police brutally murdering 43 students who were protesting. Anywhoo, the reporter who brought the $7 million dollar home scandal ("Casa Blanca Scandal") to light was a reporter named Carmen Aristegui.

She is an extremely popular radio personality who is always trying to expose corruption and conflicts of interests on her morning talk show. I sometimes listen. She is kind of annoying, but she serves an important purpose. Press Freedom in Mexico isn't exactly stellar. Out of 180 countries ranked in 2014, Mexico is 152nd, just after the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and just before Iraq. Yikes. The left most column is 2014 and then it goes back annually. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_Freedom_Index

Two weeks ago the two lead investigative reporters that helped Carmen uncover the Casa Blanca Scandal were inexplicably fired, allegedly for political reasons from the scandal. Carmen believed that she had enough political clout and popularity that she put an ultimatum to the radio station, MVS Radio. Hire them back, or fire her too. They opted for the latter. So just like that, Mexico lost one of the few journalists trying to bring transparency to the system. It's too bad. Here are the reactions from major newspapers:

NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/world/americas/in-mexico-firing-of-carmen-aristegui-highlights-rising-pressures-on-news-media.html?_r=0
"The Aristegui team’s report on the mansion, which appeared in November, opened a national debate about corruption and conflicts of interest and helped strengthen anticorruption legislation working its way through Congress. It also put Mr. Peña Nieto’s government further on the defensive; it was already reeling in the face of public anger over the disappearance of 43 rural college students in September, allegedly at the hands of a drug gang and a corrupt mayor."

Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21646800-crusading-anchorwoman-pushed-air-radio-silenced
"Behind this falling out are problems that systematically undermine journalism in Mexico, where the media have long been dominated by political power. Many outlets, including MVS Radio, rely on the government for advertising and other perks. The biggest television networks, Televisa and TV Azteca, are a pliant duopoly."

The incident makes the comedy "La Dictadura Perfecta," or the "The Perfect Dictatorship" about how the news company Televisa can get anyone it wants elected to political office given their clout, all the more believable.