When Power and Madness Collide: Mexico's Free Press Under Attack

Just when one thinks Mexico’s current government could not possibly generate any more controversy, division, or intimidation toward its detractors, it finds a way to outdo itself spectacularly. MORENA, the nationalist leftist party that came to power in 2018 and reaffirmed its dominance in the 2024 elections, has demonstrated that there are no limits to the brazenness of its leadership. This is matched by the alarming irresponsibility of their actions at their pulpit of decline, where they churn out accusations rife with paranoia and ideological demagoguery. I am referring here to recent events at one of the government’s contrived weekly briefings known as the ‘Right of Reply’ led by the current Legal Counsel to the Federal Executive, Luisa María Alcalde Luján.

In the latest chapter of this Government’s troubling actions, the Legal Counsel presented an analysis identifying journalists, media outlets, and politicians who, according to the administration, are part of a ‘digital amplification network’ spreading narratives critical of the current government. Even more controversial is the inclusion of specific journalists and opposition political figures on the list, a move that quickly sparked criticism within political circles and the media. It is shocking, yet hardly surprising, to see the extent to which the drive for absolute control and ideological zealotry can damage the image of a government already known for its ceaseless need to manufacture conflict in response to even the slightest criticism of its leaders and its approach to, or lack of competence in, governance.

A government should never publicly single out journalists or media outlets that criticise it, as this action borders on intimidation, behaviour that clearly falls within the realm of repressive and totalitarian practices. This list’s creation is part of a government-led stigmatisation campaign against its opponents in a country where practising journalism can be dangerous. The ruling administration's narrative was so absurd that Mexico's president herself had to clarify at a press conference that the government did not intend to create a ‘blacklist’, but rather, according to them, to explain how certain narratives are spread on social media to damage the government; a completely absurd claim.

The cynicism and brazenness with which a figure like Luisa María Alcalde Luján produces this pseudo-analysis of digital communication, aimed at casting the government as a victim and demonising the country's independent opposition press, are deeply concerning. This public official is undoubtedly one of the most controversial figures in Mexico's recent democratic history. Luisa María Alcalde Luján is notable not only for her government career, having served as Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare (2018-2023) and Secretary of the Interior (2023-2024) under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), but also for becoming the president of MORENA (2024-2026). In that role, she displayed a clear ideological zealotry that frequently caused friction with her party's allies, the Labour Party (PT) and the Green Party. The heavy ideological rhetoric characterising this political figure further tarnishes the image of a government that clearly adopts a defensive posture when faced with constructive criticism based on data and fact-based investigations aimed at uncovering the truth. This reveals the fissures and fractures in the political discourse of the last two administrations. Administrations marked by historical revisionism, stale nationalism, and a cult of personality surrounding the leaders at the top of MORENA.

While attacks on the opposition press are nothing new, nor will this be the last time they occur, the fact remains that these attacks are now being carried out more brazenly. They are launched from a pulpit constructed and bolted together with furious hatred directed at anyone who cannot be manipulated or who does not think as they do. The countless falsehoods within the political rhetoric of the self-styled ‘Fourth Transformation of Mexico’, championed by this party, have raised serious concerns regarding the country's trajectory, the protection of a free press and the democratic institutions that safeguard the electoral process when the incumbent regime is challenged. 

The reality is that MORENA remains, in many respects, a false Left, both in practice and due to the myriad ways it violates the very principles that the Left, in its most general sense, purports to defend. MORENA, a party that functions in practice as a cross-cutting, amorphous political entity, has frequently welcomed into its ranks politicians from rival parties across the ideological spectrum; individuals who were just as controversial in the past as they are now under the party's banner. 

This party has shown signs of seeking to establish itself as a political force capable of achieving the status of a hegemonic party, much like the PRI did for over 71 years during the 20th century. The Left in Mexico remains poorly represented by individuals who undermine Mexican democracy through such blatantly anti-democratic behaviour, disregarding the tradition of respectful dialogue.

It appears that the nationalist Left within MORENA overlooks a well-known phrase attributed to former President Lázaro Cárdenas, an icon of the Mexican Left whom they sometimes adulate to the point of fanaticism: ‘A leader who seeks to steer their country toward democracy must begin by being a true democrat, and must demonstrate this by tolerating the opposition, no matter how harsh the criticism may be, whether voiced at rallies, in the press, or through personal attacks.’

Image: Wikimedia Commons/Carlos Valenzuela

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