By Francisco Peyret
Until the end of the 20th century it was difficult to think that a public figure could survive a bad publicity campaign. But with the advent of the internet, large corporations took over the main media outlets on the planet. According to the study called «Mom México,» eleven families own the main media outlets in Mexico. Governments and political parties have increased their investments in advertising campaigns to maintain or access political power. In this new dynamic, the relationship between the media and its influence on government has intensified in recent times.
Currently in Latin America we are seeing how governments are going through real crises. In Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil, real battles have been taking place between power groups, and media powers are playing a fundamental role. Coups are good examples. The intensity, scope and immediacy of how information travels can be a boom for some and destruction for others.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) became governor of Mexico City in 2000. He invented daily informative conferences, known as the «Mañaneras.» Back then they were held at 6am, in the middle of the street, in the Historic Center of CDMX. But since 2004, when he emerged as a strong contender for the Presidency of the Republic, he has maintained a strong battle against traditional media.
I must confess that I have never seen a complete «Mañanera,» but recently I became curious about AMLO as a phenomenon of social communication. Analyzing the main newspapers and political analysts in this country, one discovers that everything they publish is about AMLO, is based on the news he declares every morning. They also focus on how he dresses, about his children, about his past, and about how he speaks. The main news about AMLO and his government is all around the world of AMLO. The daily negative news against AMLO and his government is innumerable. The media question him and reveal everything. His popularity, however, seems to remain intact. His last two massive events in the center of CDMX have been impressive! Walking for 4 hours among crowds is something unthinkable for the president of any country in the world.
I gave myself the task of following the main national media outlets on social networks: El Financiero, Radio Fórmula, El Universal, Milenio Noticias, with their main opinion leaders; Carlos Loret de Mola, Brozo, Denisse Dressder, Leo Zukermman, Carlos Alazrakí, José Cárdenas, Joaquín López-Dóriga, among others. I also followed independent media such as Chamuco TV, El Chapucero, Los Periodistas, Sin Embargo, El Astillero, and others. When I reviewed the impacts and slant on the news from the traditional media compared to the independent media, I discovered that the differences are abysmal. The scope of opinion leaders such as López Dóriga and Loret de Mola range from 15 and 30 thousand for news; those of independent leaders can go from 50 to 250 thousand impacts for a video.
According to data from the Office of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, the daily impact of the «Mañaneras» is between 3 and 5 million. If we add the independent media that constantly question the traditional media—and clearly some of them are openly in favor of AMLO—we can draw some conclusions. One of the phrases repeated a lot in the independent media is AMLO’s saying: «Thank God I have to govern in the time of the blessed social networks.»
These two pieces of information give us an idea of media spending: 1. According to data from the National Electoral Institute (INE), political parties have a budget of about 150 million pesos each year. 2. Peña Nieto in the last year of his government, spent 7.850 million pesos just in his communication office. In addition some businessmen have invested in campaigns against AMLO for years. That means that we Mexicans have been talking for 20 years and spent a lot around López Obrador. Here is a 69-year-old man, willing to appear every morning and spar with whoever stands before him. This seems to be the essence of his strategy. I believe he is an old man, who has well understood the digital era, and this has led him to become a worldwide communication phenomenon.
