#Iam132 presents proposals for media democratization

CNN Mexico Blog: Americas Program Original Translation

On Tuesday, members of the student movement #Iam132 presented a series of proposals for media democratization in Mexico, one of the themes that gave rise to this protest group.

In a document that includes six issue areas, the activists mentioned that a media model should be established which consists of a commercial sector, another public and a community social one, in which citizens can be included from diverse sectors.

In another section, the document mentions that “the communication should be recognized as a public service and not as a matter of social interest,” and that the State should guarantee freedom of expression.

“It is necessary to promote public policies that aim to a media literacy such as the elimination of the digital divide,” added the representatives of around 20 assemblies, that make up the work group for the democratization of the media.

On its political position, the youth of this group indicated in a press conference that “the media monopoly” has taken the leading role in the state-level decision-making, “through the manipulation of public opinion, particularly the television.”

See Spanish original.
Translation by Bonnie Ho, Americas Program

Protesters blockade Mexico's biggest TV station

Reuters: Thousands of protesters on Thursday blockaded the studios of Mexico's most popular TV network, accusing it of biased coverage of the July 1 presidential election.

Shouting "Tell the truth," the demonstrators, including students and union workers, stopped employees entering the offices of the Televisa studios in Mexico City although they allowed others to leave. Read more.

Youth agree on a peaceful demonstration at Televisa

- In the event of any provocation, protestors will sit on the floor.
El Universal: Americas Program Original Translation  (See Spanish Original)
The People’s Front in Defense of the Land (FPDT), the Mexican Electrician’s Union (SME), and the National Committee of Education Workers (CNTE), support the civil and peaceful demonstration that includes the “symbolic take” of Televisa by the #Iam132 movement, as part of their actions against what they call the "imposition" of Enrique Pena Nieto as president of Mexico.

This coming Friday, universities and organizations will set up a “human circle” around the Chapultepec Televisa that will last for 24 hours, in which they will prevent access to the company’s facilities, but will not obstruct the way out for staff.

In a press conference, the participants said that in the event of any provocation they will not respond with violence, instead, will only sit on the floor.

“No one will march with a hood or with their face concealed, nor will anyone carry objects or weapons…no one will be allowed to participate under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” they said.

With respect to the demonstrations planned for the Televisa facilities in the other Mexican states, the local assemblies called for avoiding any provocation.

The “human circle” will be formed from Thursday, the 26th, at 8:00 pm, congregating in the Revolution Monument, and from this point march toward the Televisa at Chapultepec.

Mexico's Election: A Vote for Peace, a Plan for War

The Nation: Tom Hayden. The authorities were boasting that all flights were on time as I landed at Mexico City’s international airport on June 26 to cover the country’s national election. Terminal 2 bustled with travelers; the duty-free shops gleamed with jewelry and alcohol, and the food courts were in full service mode. Only twenty-four hours earlier, however, travelers were crawling on the same terminal floor during a shootout that killed three federal police. The shooters escaped in broad daylight. The dead officers were not shot by narcotraffickers but by other police who apparently were working for the narcos. It turned out that AeroMexico stewardesses were helping export cocaine on flights to Spain. Bienvenidos to the Mexican labyrinth, where nothing is transparent, including elections. Read more.

Mexico's Battle for Modernity

Huffington Post: On July 1st, Mexicans will head to the urns in what is only the second presidential election following 70 years of single-party rule by the PRI. On the economic front, the stakes have never been higher. For three decades, Mexico has languished in a middle-income trap of tepid growth and low productivity, notwithstanding its post-NAFTA transformation into an export powerhouse. Furthermore, its institutional development has been stunted by a political class that, despite being freed from the shackles of single-party rule, remains woefully inefficient, prone to conflict rather than compromise, and corrupt. Although much has been said of the country's recent economic revival -- it is most likely going to outpace regional poster-boy Brazil in terms of GDP growth for the second year in a row. There are reasons why the medium- and long-term outlook will be gloomier in the absence of a fundamental redesign of the way Mexico does its politics. For it is bad politics, not bad economics, that are mostly to blame for why the country has failed to reach its full potential. Read more. 

Mexican media scandal: secretive Televisa unit promoted PRI candidate

The Guardian: Broadcaster commissioned videos rubbishing rivals of candidate who is now favourite to win presidential race on Sunday, documents seen by the Guardian reveal.

A secretive unit inside Mexico's predominant television network set up and funded a campaign for Enrique Peña Nieto, who is the favourite to win Sunday's presidential election, according to people familiar with the operation and documents seen by the Guardian.

The new revelations of bias within Televisa, the world's biggest Spanish-language broadcaster, challenge the company's claim to be politically impartial as well as Peña Nieto's insistence that he never had a special relationship with Televisa.

The unit – known as "team Handcock", in what sources say was a Televisa codename for the politician and his allies – commissioned videos promoting the candidate and his PRI party and rubbishing the party's rivals in 2009. The documents suggest the team distributed the videos to thousands of email addresses, and pushed them on Facebook and YouTube, where some of them can still be seen. Read more.

Mexico election diary: #YoSoy132 at a crossroads

The Economist: MEXICO’S presidential candidates have had two official televised debates, one in Mayand another earlier this month. On June 19th there was a third, unofficial one, hosted by a student movement called #YoSoy132. The pressure group, which was born in May after a disastrous visit by Enrique Peña Nieto, the leading candidate, to a Mexico City university, got the candidates together for two hours of discussion ahead of the election, which is now little more than a week away.

It was a decent debate. The questions put by students were good and specific; candidates had to answer simply yes or no, before outlining their proposals in more detail, which cut down on the off-topic speeches that politicians often like to dive into. It was transmitted on the internet, complete with severe technical problems due to heavy traffic (or perhaps, Twitter rumours ran, to sabotage). Read more.

Mexico election: Protest group 'I am 132' holds debate

Three presidential candidates participated in an online debate organized by students. Pena Nieto declined to participate, citing potential bias. A wide range of topics were covered.

BBC - Three of Mexico's presidential candidates have taken part in an online debate organised by a student protest movement known as #YoSoy132 (I am 132).

Josefina Vazquez Mota, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Gabriel Quadri answered questions over the internet.

But front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto, the main target of the group's protests, declined to take part, saying the debate would not be neutral. Read more.