The weekly newsletter of the México Solidarity Project

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Oh My! The Media’s Fake News on México

“Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” Those beasts put fear into the heart of Dorothy and her friends in the movie The Wizard of Oz. 

Lies, omissions, distortions, oh my! Those are the beasts we face in the English language media. The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, CNN, and so on, are ready to pounce on president Lopez Obrador and his projects that lift up Mexico’s working class and restrict predatory US corporations. 

In the land of Oz, the lion turned out to be a pussy cat. Unfortunately, in the land of corporate America, no such luck. Should these media giants — which most members of the US public turn to for their “news” — put fear in our hearts? 

Yes! These attacks have real world consequences. Drug dealers, criminals, rapists, oh my! Since the US media does little to counteract these racist stereotypes promoted by Trump, the US public gets primed to push for measures like harsh restrictions on Mexican migrants. And the Republican drumbeat for the invasion of Mexico is allowed to reverberate without sober analysis.

But isn’t this where the US progressive media step up to dismantle fake news and defend Mexico’s advances? We’re sorry to say that at best, with a few notable exceptions, Mexico is largely ignored. At worst, some progressive pundits have joined in on the AMLO bashing.

How do we turn the tables? Pedro Gellert, a left activist and media critic in Mexico City, has been key in getting a new México Solidarity Project initiative off the ground. The just launched Mexico Solidarity Media website aims to interrupt mainstream narratives.

Facts, analyses and truth, oh my!

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US Solidarity with the 4T: Media Matters

How does the US media portray AMLO and what’s going on in Mexico? 

US mainstream media are overwhelmingly in attack mode against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), and the Fourth Transformation (4T). AMLO calls 4T, his project to radically transform Mexican society, a renewed effort to finish the agenda of Mexico's three previous revolutions.

How do they get away with falsifying, distorting, or omitting facts? US media takes advantage of North Americans' ignorance about Mexico. For example, they talk about the murder of journalists without mentioning that the culprits are local public officials from the PRI or PAN — neoliberal parties governing before 2018 — colluding with the cartels.

What is the 4T project and what has it accomplished? 

At its core, the 4T is about reversing Mexico’s trend of growing economic and social inequality, an inequality due to neoliberal policies that further enrich the wealthy while cutting programs that benefit the working class. As in the three previous Mexican revolutions, the 4T promises to lift workers and improve life for the most poor and marginalized.

AMLO won the presidency by making the fight against corruption his centerpiece. And he’s made good on that promise. He lives modestly himself and has clawed back ill-gotten gains from previous politicians. He’s used those dollars to implement social programs like increased benefits for elders, students, and people with disabilities. New hospitals and universities have been built. Economic development projects have focused on the poorest region of the country, the South. The 4T is also about national sovereignty, including renationalizing the energy sector — ending the privatization free-for-all that is a hallmark of neoliberal policies.

A clue explaining the indignation of the US corporate media is that AMLO threatens to close the door to free access to Mexican labor and natural resources by US companies. Unlike previous PRI presidents, the AMLO administration refuses to be a junior partner to US interests.

Do US progressives buy into the media’s depiction of Mexico today?

The US has had strong nationwide solidarity campaigns with Vietnam, South Africa, Central America, Cuba, Venezuela, and Palestine. But progressives have built almost no solidarity movement around Mexico despite Morena and the 4T’s working class base and the need to learn from and defend it. Why?

First, AMLO and his government have not prioritized building solidarity with US civil society. Perhaps they’re overwhelmed with their internal tasks. But this has contributed to the lack of information available to English-only speakers. Without access to factual information or hearing the views of the Mexican people themselves, some sectors of the US left simply mimic what they read or hear in the mainstream US media. 

Others attack from the left, repeating criticisms of the AMLO government from the comfort of their computers. They ding him for making concessions to Washington, for not expropriating the national bourgeoisie, for not nationalizing multinational companies. That is, for not following their own recipes of what a revolutionary process should look like!

For example, some left commentators failed to understand that friendly comments and photo ops by AMLO and Donald Trump were a necessary policy to maintain the best possible relations with Washington given the geopolitical reality of Mexico, or even as a normal part of diplomatic protocol. Instead, they interpreted them as support for a xenophobic, fascist president. Similarly, with temperatures rising about Biden’s uncritical support for Israel, many progressives are disgusted that AMLO made positive statements about Mexico’s relationship to the US. They don’t know about or ignore Mexico’s historical support for Palestine and its strong October statement to the UN. 

What difference would it make to people in the US if the 4T is defeated?

For those who want an end to US imperialism, Mexico is the country most critical to that effort — it takes the lead among Latin American governments in challenging US political and economic domination. AMLO boycotted Biden’s Summit of the Americas, citing the unilateral decision of the US to decide which countries were fit to be included (Cuba and Nicaragua were excluded). He openly proposed an end to the US-dominated Organization of American States and is pushing for an American economic bloc that excludes the US.

The success of the 4T’s investment in the poor at the expense of the rich with positive economic consequences for the whole country is clear evidence that neo-liberal trickle-down economics only results in the growth of economic inequality. The US left would do well to learn how Mexico accomplished this feat.

Photo: Jim West

Mexico has 38 million people living in the US, and migration to the US is a constant. The policies being pursued by Mexico to diminish poverty and develop their internal economy will reduce the need for migration and make the “right to stay” a possibility. 

And the gains of Mexican workers who finally have the right to organize independent unions can help reverse the “race to the bottom” created by “free” trade agreements.

What are the results of media disinformation?

Much is at stake. When the US press attacks and belittles the 4T, it increases the risk of US intervention. We see the danger expressed on two levels.

How will the Mexico Solidarity Project meet the challenge?

We need a permanent campaign to counter disinformation in the mainstream media and to tell the truth to the North American public about the 4T. Six months ago, the Mexico Solidarity Project (MSP) brought together independent journalists in the US and Mexico to figure out how to create a counter-current in the English-speaking media. Others from Great Britain and Canada have joined as well.

But we realized that a media resource, a one-stop shop for fact-based news, progressive analysis, and translations of the best media from Mexican sources would be a huge step forward. The result: the new Mexico Solidarity Media website!

The defense of the 4T is of vital importance for the future of social struggles and transformation in both nations. We offer Mexico Solidarity Media as the go-to source for all those who want the information and analysis that will promote solidarity with México, right at their fingertips.

NEWS ALERT!

Want to Know More about México?

Is your appetite whetted for more information and analysis? The México Solidarity Project has launched a new web resource — México Solidarity Media. You will find everything you want to know in one place. This English language website provides news, translations of the best Spanish language articles, progressive analyses, multimedia resources, and the Bulletin. Check it out at: https://mexicosolidarity.com

Latin America Decries US Sanctions

Latin American Leaders at the Palenque Summit: 

In their impromptu camp built in the median just outside Mexico City’s northern bus terminal, a group of Venezuelan migrants adjusted the plastic bags covering their tents in an effort to keep the rain out. It was a cold and wet night with the rains caused by Otis, the massive Category 5 hurricane that struck the state of Guerrero on October 25, reaching all the way to the Mexican capital.

Days earlier, leaders from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean had gathered in the city of Palenque, Chiapas, to discuss a regional strategy to deal with the growing migration crisis in the hemisphere. The official joint statement stemming from that meeting adopted a decidedly political posture, warning that the negative effects of climate change were among the root causes of migration. The Palenque Declaration stated that “the main structural causes of migration are political, economic, social and the negative effects of climate change.”

In commentary seldom seen in official summit communiqués, the joint statement explicitly criticized the “negative effects” of unilateral coercive measures, commonly known as sanctions, on “the most vulnerable people and communities.”

The inclusion of an expressly political posture vis-a-vis sanctions stems in part from the in-person attendance of both Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has frequently defended the political legitimacy of both leaders, made a point of inviting leaders from the countries with high emigration. Both Caracas and Havana maintain that their economic troubles are the product of the United States economic blockade on their countries.

The Palenque Summit was designed to generate a united regional response to the disproportionate influence the U.S. has on the issue — as a matter of fact, US officials were not even invited to attend. López Obrador stated he intended to hand deliver the message from the summit to US President Joe Biden when he met with him at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco.

The Palenque Declaration’s call for the end of the US’s unilateral coercive measures was warmly embraced by Venezuelan President Maduro. He commented that the emigration issue could be quickly resolved if US sanctions were lifted.

Venezuelan migrant Otoniel Marín who is living in the Mexico City camp said that if the situation in the country improved, he would happily return to Venezuela.“That is our country, where we were born and raised, where our family lives, even if it meant starting over, we would return to our homeland,” said Marín.

Recent news reports and commentaries, from progressive and mainstream media,
on life and struggles on both sides of the US-México border compiled by Jay Watts

Melissa Gomez, California Imports Doctors from Mexico to Fill Gaping Holes in Farmworker Healthcare The Los Angeles Times. “The trauma, both physical and mental, of the migrants who come into their modest exam rooms spills out of them almost as soon as the doctors begin asking in Spanish about their health, work and lifestyle.”

Sheinbaum destaca Gobierno para las mujeres; “no traicionaré lucha indígena”, afirma Sin Embargo. “Vamos a gobernar para las mujeres de México, que llegue una mujer es un símbolo de la transformación, es el símbolo de este cambio verdadero que está ocurriendo en nuestro país”, dijo la candidata única de Morena.

AMLO on the 113th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution Mexico Solidarity Media. At the November 20th commemorative ceremony, President AMLO announced the signing of an executive order to return passenger train service to 7 routes in Mexico, covering some 17,484 km.

Álvaro Delgado Gómez, Sheinbaum y los Milei de México Sin Embargo. “Seguiremos con la política de erradicación de la corrupción y el principio de impulsar la economía desde abajo. Los árboles se riegan desde la raíz.”

David Raby, Acapulco: Mexico begins major redevelopment Morning Star. The Mexican authorities’ relief and reconstruction effort is massive and unparalleled, providing immediate relief on an enormous scale and then restoration of essential services, followed by gainful employment and support to rebuild legitimate businesses as never before.

Oliveira Mijares, AMLO anuncia inversión de 10 mil mdd en Oaxaca para hidrógeno verde Sentido Común. “Van a producir hidrógeno verde para sustituir combustibles fósiles, que las embarcaciones nuevas van a utilizar y todo esto se va a producir en el Istmo.”

Mexican activist who documented murders is killed Morning Star. For years, Mr Enriquez has posted a simple, moving tally of each murder in Leon, writing just hours before his death that “murder number 55 in Leon so far in November just occurred in the Margaritas neighbourhood.”

Carolina Gómez Mena y Jessica Xantomila, Arranca marcha contra la violencia de mujeres en CDMX La Jornada. Al grito de “el poder judicial vergüenza nacional” y “me cuidan mis amigas” arrancó alrededor de las 15 horas la marcha con motivo del Día Internacional por la Eliminación de la Violencia hacía las Mujeres (25N).

Migrants on Mexico's Northern Border Face Harsh Conditions Telesur English. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted in early November an annual increase of over 60 percent in irregular migration crossing Mexican territory in 2023.

Luis Hernández Navarro, Taibo II: nuestra generación sufrió de agotamiento; era inevitable La Jornada. “Al final de mi vida puedo decir que soy un escritor mexicano, un activista político mexicano. He tenido experiencias en otras partes del mundo, muchas, pero soy mexicano.”

The Mexico Solidarity Project brings together activists from various socialist and left organizations and individuals committed to worker and global justice. We see the 2018 election of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of México as a watershed moment. AMLO and his progressive Morena party aim to end generations of corruption, impoverishment, and subservience to US interests. Our Project supports not just Morena, but all Mexicans struggling for basic rights, and opposes US efforts to undermine organizing and México’s national sovereignty.

Editorial committee: Meizhu Lui, Bruce Hobson, Agatha Hinman, Victoria Hamlin, Courtney Childs.  To give feedback or get involved yourself, please email us!

Web page and application support for the México Solidarity Project from NOVA Web Development, a democratically run, worker-owned and operated cooperative focused on developing free software tools for progressive organizations.