Anger at the Televisa network
Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:31 AM PDT
It’s a tiny but interesting civic protest.
Months after Spaniards began to gather in plazas to protest welfare cuts and politics-as-usual, and weeks after the Occupy Wall Street protest gathers steam, a small movement is developing in Mexico.
Its target is neither the federal government nor politicians.
Rather, it is Televisa, the network that is as powerful as any political party and that protects its financial interests by incessantly attacking enemies and critics. Televisa leaves Fox News and MSNBC in the dust in the way that it champions its favored political causes and financial interests. Televisa's influence in Mexico is so great that it's been called an "invisible tyranny" and a wielder of "frightening political power."
Now, sectors aggrieved by Televisa are going on the counter-attack.
The website televileaks.com is publicizing what is says are misinformation campaigns by Televisa to make sure no one else can wedge into the lucrative and concentrated television market.
Another organization of academics, telecom experts and journalists has formed to challenge Televisa. It is called “Enough of Televisa’s Abuses.” The muscle behind the group comes from Simon Charaf, owner of a bar where a Paraguayan soccer player was shot in the head in 2010. Charaf felt that Televisa twisted coverage of the incident to pressure him to back out of a separate company in which Televisa had an interest.
As an example of Televisa’s style, it is reporting heavily on a scandal involving government corruption in the casino industry without ever noting that it has permits to operate up to 130 casinos itself.
Charaf said in a statement that “we have created this civic association so that those who suffer abuse, injustice, attack or mistreatment by Televisa, in conspiracy or under pressure from authorities, will have a platform to air their grievances…”
Joining Charaf in the association are former Telecom Secretariat official Purificación Carpinteyro, legislator Javier Corral y media investigator Raúl Trejo Delarbre.
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