The International Press Institute ?IPI, for its acronym in English? and the support of the international media ?IMS? recognized the Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui with the 2023 World Press Freedom Hero award, due to her "commitment to critical journalism in the face of efforts to silence her."
The award "honors Aristegui's decades of fearless reporting on corruption in Mexico, regardless of the government in power," the organizations said in a statement.
For his vigorous watchdog journalism, the organizations noted that Aristegui has been subjected to a variety of abuses at the hands of the Mexican state and other powerful actors, including smear campaigns and politically motivated firings.
"She and her family were illegally targeted by Pegasus surveillance beginning in 2015, in one of the first known uses of the powerful spyware against journalists."
In this sense, they pointed out that, despite working under threats in one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalism "Mexico", Aristegui has never wavered in his journalistic mission, "while his strength has earned him widespread respect and inspired a generation as a leading investigative reporter in Mexico's male-dominated media industry."
To this, they added that, in a country where polarized political discourse and misinformation are on the rise, and where a journalist or media outlet is attacked every 13 hours, independent journalism, such as the one practiced and represented by Aristegui, is not only necessary but also a key element of democracy.
The IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero Award will be presented together with the IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award during a special ceremony on May 25 in Vienna as part of the annual IPI World Congress.
A thorn in the side of power
Aristegui has spent nearly three decades breaking high-profile stories on high-level corruption in Mexico, working primarily on radio and television, including CNN in Spanish. His work is distinguished by an unwavering willingness to cast a critical light on some of Mexico's most powerful institutions, despite the risks that such information entails.
"Indeed, her journalism has repeatedly been a thorn in the side of those in power, frequently making her the target of reprisals"
In 2015, Aristegui was fired from the MVS radio station shortly after she and her team reported on a dubious real-estate deal by the wife of then-president Enrique Peña Nieto and after she helped launch MexicoLeaks, a platform like from Wikileaks designed to help expose corruption.
The dismissal was deemed to be politically motivated and was later declared illegal by a court. She had been fired once before from her position at MVS under pressure from the administration of former President Felipe Calderón, before being rehired after a public outcry.
Two years later, a group of Mexican human rights organizations released a report revealing that Aristegui had been subjected to surveillance using the powerful Pegasus spyware in 2015 and 2016. The surveillance also focused on his then-16-year-old son Emilio. , as well as two colleagues; His sister, a producer, and a former assistant were also believed to be suspicious targets.
After his second firing from MVS, Aristegui continued to broadcast on CNN in Spanish and founded a news outlet called Aristegui Noticias, where he continues to produce hard-hitting investigative coverage on Mexico's ruling elite.
In response, Aristegui has been the target of repeated verbal attacks and smear attempts by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who regularly uses his press conferences to lash out at perceived enemies in the media and civil society.
«Carmen Aristegui stands out for her courageous determination to speak truth to power, despite the risks that this entails in a country like Mexico, one of the most dangerous places in the world to practice journalism. Throughout his career, he has done what the best investigative journalists do: act as a watchdog for the powerful and give a voice to the weak,” said IPI Executive Director Frane Maroevi?.
“For this work, he has faced repeated attacks, harassment, and violations of his human rights. Yet time and time again she has responded to this harassment by redoubling her commitment to critical journalism, refusing to be silenced. We are proud to present him with this year's IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero award."
For his part, the executive director of IMS, Jesper Højberg, stressed that “for more than three decades, Carmen Aristegui has been at the forefront of bringing truthful information to the public in Mexico. His dedication to journalism and persistence in his work serve as an inspiration to journalists around the world, but particularly in Latin America, where press freedom and the safety of journalists are unfortunately under severe pressure."
To this he added that, throughout his work, the integrity of the information has remained a central pillar.
“This not only leads to good journalism, but is also key to upholding democratic values. In exposing corruption and seeking accountability, Carmen Aristegui has courageously and relentlessly continued her reporting despite the threats she has faced, and it is hard to overestimate the impact of her work. For this reason, Carmen Aristegui is a true Hero of Press Freedom».
This year's Hero Award winners were selected by an international jury consisting of IPI; I AM S; Siddharth Varadarajan, Editor-in-Chief of India's The Wire, recipient of the 2021 Free Media Pioneer Award; Iryna Vidanava, Co-Founder and CEO of CityDog.io, a leading independent online media outlet in Belarus; and José Zamora, director of communications and impact at Exile Content, and son of imprisoned IPI-IMS global press freedom hero José Rubén Zamora.
The 2022 World Press Freedom Hero award was presented to Shireen Abu Akleh, a pioneering figure for women in media in the Middle East and a correspondent for Al Jazeera who was shot dead by Israeli forces in May 2022, and Carlos Dada from El Salvador, Co-Founder and Director of El Faro, one of the most prominent online investigative news outlets in Latin America.
This is the second time that a Mexican journalist has received the distinction, after Lidia Cacho Ribeiro was recognized in 2010 in 2010.
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