Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum defended draft lineamientos and signed a decree Tuesday that centralizes proactive disclosure duties in the Secretaría de Anticorrupción y Buen Gobierno and mandates more frequent publication of contracts.
- The CRT’s draft lineamientos, open for public comment through August 21, would require radio and TV concessionaires to publish a code of ethics, appoint an independent audience defender, operate a complaints channel, and label advertising, opinion and news.
- Officials say the rules are meant to strengthen audience rights and rely on media self‑regulation, but the draft also allows the CRT to monitor compliance and contemplates administrative fines tied to revenue for failures to meet duties.
- Broadcasters and opposition figures warn that concentrating transparency functions in the Executive and the draft’s broadly worded enforcement options could enable selective application or produce chilling effects on journalism.
- The proposals build on existing telecom law and the constitutional right to plural information; the consultation period and a pledged review by the CRT mean final obligations, timelines and sanctioning powers remain unresolved.