Aristegui's back at MVS

Well, not quite, though soon: In a joint communique, MVS Radio and Carmen Aristegui announced that the journalist will be back at the radio station the coming Jan. 21.

The joint statement, which can be read here, referred to demands from its listeners for her reinstatement, and moreover to its code of ethics, noting that an ombudsman would be appointed who will evaluate the station's content based on this code of ethics, which MVS radio had accused Aristegui of breaking. No apology was offered to Aristegui, which she had previously demanded.

I wonder if we'll ever know more about what led to her dismissal: Was any pressure coming from the presidential office of Felipe Calderón, or was this simply an independent decision by the company?

In any event: This is wonderful news.

L'affaire Aristegui draws international attention

While I'm happy that BBC would cover something else than Mexico's narco killings, I'd wish it to be on something more positive than the possible persecution of a journalist.

As the venerable British network reports in a very balanced piece,

"some columnists saying her sacking raises questions about the freedom of the media in Mexico.But others have said that the allegations about Mr Calderon are malicious lies."

There are indeed two very different issues meshed together here, as Héctor Aguilar Camín also noted in his column yesterday:

1) The company fires a worker for having broken their own ethics code, "reporting a rumour as fact"
2) The presidency of Felipe Calderón forced her company to fire her.

The firing of Arisegui was really stupid, and in my eyes a far too harsh of a reaction in any case. But that is something utterly different than whether the station fired her because of pressure from the Mexican federal authorities. Clearly, if Calderón's men put pressure on MVS radio to do so, it would be an outrageous scandal, which should result in serious consequences for the administration.

Yet does any evidence exist that MVS received orders from Calderón to fire Aristegui?

Too quickly, too many have immediately sought to jump on this very serious allegation, not needing a drop of evidence other than their own suspicions. I personally find it unlikely that he would take such a drastic step that, if uncovered, would likely drastically damage his public standing, not to speak of his legacy. Maybe I am too naive, but maybe those who regard this as a deliberate attack on the freedom of the media are also a bit too conspiratorial.

Carmen Aristegui fired from MVS radio, likely for Calderón alcoholism rumours

Yesterday, MVS radio abruptly announced that Carmen Aristegui, a star of the network and one of the leading journalists in Mexico, was fired from her job. There was not even any "resignation-for-personal-reasons" dressing; MVS gave as reason that she "had broken the ethics code of the company."

It is very likely due to this statement, said after radical PT  and PRD deputies hung up a banner alluding to Felipe Calderón's rumored - with emphasis on rumored - alcoholism

"Really, the Presidency of the Republic itself should give clear, crisp, formal answer in this regard. There is nothing offensive  - it seems to me - when someone, if this is the case, is going through a problem of this kind... Does Felipe Calderón have a alcohol problem? Again, this deserves a serious response, formal and official from the Presidency of the Republic itself."

Without knowing much of this case or these rumors, as a matter of principle I tend to disagree with the logic of such statements. Why is the president forced to prove a negative - to prove something that he isn't? To put it this way: Following this logic, does he also have to prove he is not the flying spaghetti monster?

That said: Did Aristegui really deserve to be fired from saying what she did? I think not.