U.S. diplomats troubled by Televisa-Peña Nieto links in 2009, charges The Guardian

"Journalists and their bosses have been more or less free to engage in the time-honored Mexican electoral tradition of selling favorable print and broadcast coverage to candidates and parties." - U.S. diplomatic cable, 2009

Quick on the heels of its recent disclosures about alleged ties between the mega Spanish language network Televisa and PRI presidential candiddate Enrique Peña Nieto, The Guardian reported yesterday that American diplomats in Mexico City were worried about the same thing three years ago. In a story published Monday (June 11), the Britsh newspaper said "U.S. diplomats raised concerns that the frontrunner in Mexico's presidential election, Enrique Peña Nieto, was paying for favourable TV coverage as far back as 2009." The Guardian based its analysis on a review of confidential diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks in 2010 and 2011 (see note below).

In a September 2009 cable to the U.S. State Dept., American diplomats wrote, "It is widely accepted that the television monopoly Televisa backs the governor and provides him with an extraordinary amount of airtime and other kinds of coverage." The governor to whom they were referring was Enrique Peña Nieto, then chief executive of the State of Mexico (Edomex).

The cable cited by The Guardian was entitled "A look at the State of Mexico, Potemkin Village style." The name itself is revealing of U.S. officials' estimation of Peña Nieto's style of government. Potemkin Village is a term of disparagement used to suggest deception or fraud on a widespread scale. When Russian Empress Catherine II passed through the Crimea in 1787, one of her ministers, Grigory Potemkin, purportedly arranged for the construction of artificial villages along the Dnieper River to impress her with burgeoning "development" in the remote region, complete with the facades of nonexistent homes and businesses.

The Guardian claimed yesterday that Enrique Peña Nieto employed his own strategy of "Potemkin villages" when he governed the State of Mexico. As an example, the paper said that as midterm elections approached in 2010, Peña Nieto targeted selected areas of the state for public works projects, and then heavily promoted them with the paid assistance of Televisa. The ultimate goal was to attract votes for his fellow PRIsta office seekers.

The Guardian has been strongly criticized by Televisa and the Peña Nieto campaign, and its recent disclosures have been given only modest attention by the Mexican press, which apparently would prefer to forget about them. But the paper is standing by its stories, and yesterday it said the U.S. cables confirm its reports of the Televisa-Peña Nieto connection.

Yo Soy 132 demonstrators in Mérida, May 23, 2012, taking a shot at the Mexican media


A note on WikiLeaks
More than two years ago WikiLeaks - which publishes, online, information received from anonymous sources - began releasing classified cables sent to the State Department by 275 U.S. consulates, embassies, and diplomatic missions worldwide, between 1966 and Feb. 2010. Many of the 250,000 cables contain sensitive analyses of international situations, as well as diplomats' assessments of events and officials in the countries where they were based. The cables have embarrassed the United States, complicated its diplomatic relations with several countries and in some instances severely stressed old friendships. Nowhere is that more evident than in the arena of U.S.-Mexico affairs, where a former American ambassador was forced to resign last year over confidential comments he made to Washington about Mexico's anemic drug war efforts. The last WikiLeaks cables were released in Sept. 2011, but because of their size - over 260 million words - it may take years to analyze them all. (U.S. intensely focused on Yucatán security in 2008-2009, say diplomatic cables).

Recent related stories
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Televisa Responds to The Guardian
U.K.'s Guardian reveals Televisa-EPN deal

Wikileaks
Wikileaks suspect Pfc. Bradley Manning arraigned: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/02/wikileaks-suspect-pfc-bradley-manning.html.
Wikileaks suspect bound over for trial: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2012/01/wikileaks-suspect-bound-over-for-trial.html.
Did the man behind explosive Wikileaks disclosures really want to be a woman?: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.mx/2011/12/did-man-behind-explosive-wikileaks.html.
Wikileaks disclosures forced out former U.S. ambassador to Mexico: http://mexicogulfreporter-supplement.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-us-ambassador-to-mexico-stands.html.

Guardian stories
WikiLeaks reveals US concerns over Televisa-Peña Nieto links in 2009: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/11/wikileaks-us-concerns-televisa-pena-nieto.
Computer files link TV dirty tricks to favorite for Mexico presidency: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/07/mexico-presidency-tv-dirty-tricks?intcmp=239.
Mexico presidential candidate under pressure over Televisa media scandal: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/08/mexico-presidential-candidate-media-televisa