Mexico: "Journalist Summarily Borked For Refusal to Cede Editorial Independence'

The abrupt departure of Aristegui comes at a moment when her program enjoys some of the highest ratings in Mexico City, according to the INRA ratings agency, and one of the highest levels of credibility, due to her critical, consistent and pluralistic news coverage.

Por "incompatibilidad editorial", WRadio suspende el contrato a Carmen Aristegui: Proceso (Mexico) reports that CNN and W Radio journalist Carmen Aristegui has been fired by W Radio and its owner, the Spanish Prisa group.

Aristegui broke the Hildebrando117 story during the Mexican elections of 2006, among other things. See

• Hildebrando117 Reloaded: Remembering the Aristegui Demonstration

My translation of an excerpt:

After five years editing and hosting the morning show, the journalist was informed in an unexpected manner by station management that her year-to-year contract with W Radio would not be renewed unless she accepted ceding editorial independence. 

Due to "editorial incompatibility," W Radio, a partnership between Televisa and the Spanish consortium, Prisa, decided to cancel its contract with journalist Carmen Aristegui, host of the radio news program Hoy for Hoy, effective Thursday.

After five years editing and hosting the morning show, the journalist was informed in an unexpected manner by station management that her year-to-year contract with W Radio would not be renewed unless she accepted ceding editorial independence.

"The editorial model that the company wants is not compatible with the model I have defended, and the company decided not to renew the contract," she confirmed to Apro.

The abrupt departure of Aristegui comes at a moment when her program enjoys some of the highest ratings in Mexico City, according to the INRA ratings agency, and one of the highest levels of credibility, due to her critical, consistent and pluralistic news coverage.

Observers say Hoy por Hoy has become one of the most important references for the daily news agenda. Her high degree of credibility is acknowledged by corporate spokespersons and social leaders, as well as political parties, incuding the former presidential candidate, López Obrador. 

On her program, week in and week out, analysts like [Proceso's] Denisse Dresser, Lorenzo Meyer and José Antonio Crespo provided commmentary, and the reporting team was top-notch. 

Despite her high ratings and credibility, Televisa executives did not conceal, either publiclyor privately, their unhappiness with her editorial independence, especially in her coverage of the controversial "Televisa Law."

The pressure on the Aristegui broadcast began soon after the Supreme Court found the "Televisa Law" fundamentally unconstitutional.

Por "problemas técnicos" se sacó de la señal televisiva de Sky, propiedad de Televisa, el noticiario de Aristegui. Nunca se restableció la señal.

Due to "technical problems," the signal from Aristegui's report [on this decision] was cut on Televisa's Sky, and never reestablished.