By Pedro Salvador Guerrero
The following is an excerpt from today’s “Detector de Mentiras”[1] in the “Mañanera del Pueblo” (People’s Morning Conference), the daily press conference held by the President of Mexico, during which government officials present information on national issues and respond to media narratives. This week’s Lie Detector segment focuses on false media claims of censorship, misrepresentation of the judicial reform, lies about avocado exports, wrong data about procurement processes, and made-up electric bill programs.
Transcript translation:
Since April 24, a campaign of lies against the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law has emerged on social media. Like those already debunked here, it used accounts from abroad. The chorus of misinformation also included media outlets, commentators, and even legislators. Those who promoted and continue to promote this campaign do not defend freedom of expression or the right to information. What interests are behind this campaign? On the other hand, Ernesto Zedillo—the president of the administration of FOBAPROA[2], the Aguas Blancas and Acteal massacres, and the privatization of airports, mines, satellites, and railroads, among others—reappeared with the same lies he used in November 2024 to attack the judicial reform and the current federal government. Let’s watch this week’s lie detector video:
False attacks on freedom of expression, alleged attempts at censorship, and even the declaration of the death of democracy in Mexico are some of the fake news stories the Lie Detector detected this week.
1. The Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law caused an artificial campaign on social media, in columns, electronic media, and in the Senate, to spread the lie that it is a “Censorship Law.”
a) Social Media:
An analysis of the hashtag #LeyCensura on social media, conducted by Dr. Carlos Augusto Jiménez, revealed that more than 40% of interactions took place outside of Mexico. Of that total, 24.6% were in Colombia and 9.9% in Spain.
b) Columnists
Between April 24 and 29, the newspapers Reforma, Milenio, El Universal, El Financiero, El Heraldo, Excelsior, and Ovaciones published 37 columns on the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law, promoting three lines of disinformation:
1. The law violates freedom of expression and generates censorship,
2. It allows for the deletion or deletion of social media accounts, and
3. It will lead to a dictatorship.
Among the columnists who published these lines of disinformation are Sergio Sarmiento, with two posts; Raymundo Riva Palacio, with two posts; Denise Dresser, with one post; Héctor Aguilar Camín, with one post; the editorial in El Universal, “Bajo Reserva,” with two posts; and the editorial in Reforma, “Templo Mayor,” with four posts.
c) Senators
Opposition legislators promoted the same lines of disinformation as the print media columnists:
“This bill they intend to pass, which not only has the highest vices of authoritarianism, but also moves toward a dictatorship, because there will be no freedom of expression.”
“This is not a new law on telecommunications and broadcasting; this is a censorship law.”
“So that the president and her team have the power to shut down social media they don’t like.”
d) Electronic media commentators
“The censorship provoked disgust and rejection in the Chamber of Deputies. It is an open attack on freedom of expression from the National Palace.”
“A law that allows the government to shut down a digital platform…”
“Yes, that is censorship. Censorship with an “A,” Madam President.”
False!
The Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law guarantees the right to freedom of expression, the rights of audiences, and telecommunications users. No one shall be subject to persecution or censorship.
In the People’s Morning Conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum explained that this law is not intended to censor: “Censorship Law,” now to the Telecommunications Law. Well. They are based on an article I already said that it does not have the intention to censor the platforms, far from it;, if that article is misunderstood, it can be removed, there’s no problem. Ah, but they continue: “but they want to censor the platforms, they want to censor.”
2. Democracy is dead; a dictatorship is being created. In an interview in the magazine Nexos, edited by Héctor Aguilar Camín, and in an essay published in the magazine Letras Libres by Enrique Crauze, former President Ernesto Zedillo asserted that democracy was destroyed in Mexico and that it is heading towards a dictatorship, due to the reform of the judiciary.
False!
The reform of the judiciary did not eliminate the separation of powers present in the Mexican Political Constitution, nor did it change the democratic regime established in Article 40 of the Constitution.
3. The screwworm threatens Mexican avocado exports.
False!
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development clarified to Senator Marko Cortés that the screwworm is a pest affecting livestock, not avocados, as the PAN legislator confused the screwworm that affects various plants with the screwworm that affects livestock.
4. On CompraNet[3], only the last 5 years of contracts can be consulted.
False!
According to the new Procurement Law, the digital public contracting platform, which will replace CompraNet, will retain electronic information verifying acts and contracts for at least five years.
5. There will be a shortage of medicines due to the verification of the consolidated purchase of medicines.
False!
The Undersecretary of Integration and Development of the Health Sector, Eduardo Clark, reported during the People’s Daily that 148 million units of medical supplies had been received from the 29th to the 24th of the same month. He clarified that there had been no shortage of supplies: “Even in this process being carried out to replenish the drug procurement processes for the next 18 months, we have continued to receive units. In other words, there has not been a shortage of delivery, a shortage of supply. The medical supplies required by the various institutions that make up the health sector continue to arrive and will continue to arrive. Furthermore, we still have approximately 331 million units scheduled for delivery in the coming weeks.”
6. The CFE launched a door-to-door operation to install smart meters and notify users of debts.
False!
On April 22, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) denied the existence of a program called “House to House” and clarified that the aforementioned activities are routine tasks performed by CFE field staff.
[1] “El Detector de Mentiras” (The Lie Detector) is a Wednesday segment from the daily presidential press conference in Mexico, produced by “Infodemia,” and presented by Miguel Ángel Elorza-Vásquez. It is designed to address misinformation in national and international media coverage of Mexico. This translation provides an English version of the segment from April 30, 2025, ensuring accessibility for English-speaking or reading audiences interested in Mexican political discourse and media narratives.
[2] FOBAPROA was a controversial Mexican government bailout fund that socialized private bank losses during the 1994–1995 financial crisis by converting bad debt into public debt, burdening taxpayers with around 945 billion until now and raising concerns over corruption and accountability.
[3] CompraNet is Mexico’s federal e-procurement system designed to promote transparency, efficiency, and accountability in government contracting by publicly disclosing information on public tenders, contracts, and suppliers.
Mexican Press Agency is part of ALMA, which is dedicated to news and information about Mexico and Mexicans in the United States and is a fiscally sponsored project of Social Focus, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Redwood City, California.
