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American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Mexico: Government spying on journalists

Several prominent journalists and activists in Mexico have filed a complaint accusing the government of spying on them by hacking their phones.

The report says that the software, known as Pegasus, was sold to Mexican federal agencies by Israeli company NSO Group on the condition that it only be used to investigate criminals and terrorists.

The software can infiltrate smartphones and monitor calls, texts and other communications, the New York Times said. It can also activate a phone’s microphone or camera, effectively turning the device into a personal bug.

But instead of being used to track suspected criminals, the targets allegedly included investigative journalists, anti-corruption activists and even lawyers.

. . .

Nine people have now filed a criminal complaint

The BBC lists,

  • “Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Centre: One of the most respected human rights groups in Mexico, it has looked into the disappearance and suspected massacre of 43 students in 2014 and other high profile cases, including a military raid that left 22 dead in 2014. Its executive director and two other senior executives allegedly received infected messages
  • “Aristegui Noticias: Award-winning journalist Carmen Aristegui, who also hosts a daily programme on CNN en Español, has reported on suspected cases of corruption and conflict of interest, including a scandal involving the wife of President Enrique Peña Nieto acquiring a $7m (£5.5m) house from a government contractor. Two members of her investigative team and her under-age son allegedly received some 50 messages
  • “Carlos Loret de Mola: A popular journalist at leading TV network Televisa, he allegedly received several messages containing the software
  • “Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO): It has led efforts for anti-corruption legislation. Two senior members were allegedly targeted.”

Interestingly, the NYT, which started the investigation, is partially owned by Carlos Slim.

Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists and media workers, and press freedom faces persistent threats.

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Mexico: Another news editor shot

Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists.

Mexican news editor shot as attacks against journalists soar

A Mexican journalist was shot and injured early on Wednesday in the eastern state of Veracruz, the state attorney general’s office said, the latest in a spate of attacks against reporters in Mexico.

The 51-year-old news editor at La Opinion de Poza Rica, a newspaper in the violent oil-drilling city of Poza Rica in the drug-ravaged state, was shot outside his home early on Wednesday morning. The attorney general’s office in a statement identified him only as ‘A.A.G.’ but the State Commission for the Protection of Journalists named him as Armando Arrieta Granados.

The Committee to Protect Journalists keeps track of incidents, with Veracruz being the deadliest state.

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The not-quite-fake but rather manipulated news

If, as the Washington Post says, “Democracy Dies in Darkness”, the media should get a lot of the credit for dimming the lights. Not for simply making up stories out of whole cloth (remember the “hacked power grid” story that turned out to be one laptop with malware?), but also by omitting or ignoring pertinent information.

Two stories this week illustrate the point. Read my post, The not-quite-fake but rather manipulated news

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The daily fake: The yearbook prank

The Daily Mail, New York Post, U.S. News and World Report, and the International Business Times ran stories alleging that Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch had started a club named “Fascism Forever” while in high school.

What is astonishing about this is the only undeniable fact: None of the journalists in any of the four newspapers, nor their editors reviewing the story, thought of doing one thing – calling Georgetown Prep (telephone available at their website) and actually asking any questions on this story.

Read my post,, The daily fake: The yearbook prank.



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Jorge Ramos’s “racial war” rhetoric

Jorge Bonilla reports that Univision’s open borders advocate is kicking it up a notch,

Ramos, the journalist that Trump booted from a press conference nearly a year ago, claims that the hatred, racism and intolerance that were the hallmarks of the Republican’s campaign have already caused a racial war.

“It’s war. We are in a pitched battle between those who defend immigrants and the anti-immigrant. Since all these immigrants are without protection, the mayors of big cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Denver, and several universities, just to name a few, have decided to take charge of immigrant defense”, he says.

…

“The country is totally divided, full of hatreds, resentments, a very dangerous desire for vengeance, and with very little tolerance. What is being discussed here is how to resist Trump”, he added.

“Racial war” may not be a good idea to promote by the whiter-than-white Ramos.

But then we’re talking about the guy who wanted to convince his audience that Jeb! is Latino.

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Mexico: Media lose their sh*t over Trump

Mexico’s media, which have been taking out the sledge-o-matic and going full Gallagher on Donald Trump, are now in a full-froth frenzy.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto had invited both Trump and Hillary Clinton. While it’s possible the Mexican president never expected either to accept the invite, Trump decided to show up anyway.

Prior to Trump’s visit, this week Mexican media had been obsessing over the sudden death of singer Juan Gabriel. The visit erased Juan Gabriel’s name from the headlines, and replaced it with Trump’s. Grief turned into wrath.

Twitter lit up like the hay truck in Breaking Bad,

while the TV talking heads and newspapers joined in.

There may be five stages of grief, but Mexico’s media have three stages of wrath:

Stage One: Before Trump landed,
The visit was announced late on Tuesday, and the initial reaction was, as it is in grief situations, denial,

“Mexicans invited Trump to visit?!?! BUT WHY?!?! Do they want to find out what the wall will look like?”

Stage Two: The actual visit,
The morning appointment was rescheduled to start at 3pm Mexico time. A few protesters took to the streets to express “indignation, shame and anger,”

“How can the president invite someone to our country who has offended us, who has humiliated us, who has treated us badly as Mexicans?”

Former president Vicente Fox piped in,

“We don’t like him. We don’t want him,” former Mexican President Vicente Fox told CNN. The former president called Peña Nieto a “traitor” for extending the invitation to Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Mexico over the last year and has vowed to force the nation to pay for construction of a massive border wall.

Open-borders activist and so-called journalist™ Jorge Ramos piled on both Trump and Peña Nieto,

Here’s the press conference,

Pay close attention to the 21:00 point where the press ask questions. Trump seamlessly took over the question and answer section. Peña Nieto looked like he had been hit with a 2 x 4 on the side of the head.

Stage Three: The aftermath,
Trump was already in his plane flying to Arizona by the time Peña Nieto roused himself enough to tweet that Mexico’s not paying for the wall:
“From the start of the conversation, I made clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.”

Open-borders activist and so-called journalist™ Jorge Ramos is crying bitter tears. In today’s WaPo,
Jorge Ramos: Peña Nieto was meek with Trump. Latino voters in the U.S. won’t be. He questions the timing,

The timing for the hurried meeting was completely off: It was just hours before Trump’s speech on immigration in Phoenix, and just one day before Peña Nieto’s State of the Union address. Not only that; Mexicans are still mourning the death of a musical legend, Juan Gabriel.

Because matters of state should take second tier to pop singers? At least Ramos reminded his audience (emphasis added)

(A disclosure I’ve made before: My daughter, Paola Ramos, works for the campaign of Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic opponent.)

During Trump’s immigration speech last evening, Mexican historian Enrique Krauze resorted to name-calling,

“Trump should have never set foot on Mexico. I’m now listening to him [speak] against immigrants. Our “friend’s” fascist essence has never been clearer.”

Maybe Don Enrique forgot the time then-president Calderón showed up at the U.S. Congress condemning U.S. law.

Krauze’s son, León, who is currently promoting his new book on Mexican immigrants to the U.S. (most are undocumented), this morning admits that Donald Trump went to Mexico and won – begrudgingly, since according to him,

International bullying got the presidential seal of approval.

Trump went to Mexico, and perhaps what the pundits fear most is that “The world is run by those who show up”, and Trump did.

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.

RELATED:
The Diplomad:

Trump’s not even president and he has gotten Mexico to agree to “improve” NAFTA! Not to mention, of course, that Peña did not reject the idea of a wall to protect “both countries.”

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