TV Azteca says government guidelines aim to silence network

Luciano Pascoe, General Director of News and Communication for TV Azteca, has accused Mexico's federal government of enacting "clear guidelines to silence" the network and its journalists. Pascoe stated that the government's "censorship" aims to dictate what Mexicans consume, specifically targeting TV Azteca and its reporters.

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the censorship" of the federal government, in reference to the audience rights guidelines, has a name and surname: TV Azteca and some of its journalists.

In a social media post, Pascoe characterized the government's actions as authoritarian, accusing them of lacking dialogue, hiding corruption, and promoting nepotism. He asserted that democracy can only survive with unrestricted freedom of expression, a principle he claims TV Azteca will not abandon.

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Democracy only survives with unrestricted freedom of expression.

Pascoe's remarks echo sentiments from journalist Juan Pablo de Leo, who also criticized the "audience rights guidelines." De Leo argued that the regulations are not for public protection but are specifically designed to silence TV Azteca. He emphasized that journalism's role is to scrutinize power, expose corruption, and hold officials accountable, a function TV Azteca intends to continue.

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No, it is not general regulation or an attempt to protect the public, this has a name and surname, they are clear guidelines to silence Televisión Azteca.

The accusations come after a government press conference where TV Azteca and journalist Sergio Sarmiento were allegedly attacked. De Leo suggested the government is creating a "smokescreen" to frame the issue as a dispute between the government and a media outlet, rather than an attempt to suppress criticism.

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We will not be silenced; after all, journalism serves that purpose, to review power, to be a counterweight to power, to review corruption, to review ineptitude, to review excesses, and that is what we have been doing at Televisión Azteca and that is what we are going to continue doing.