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Mexico\'s Student Movement Protests Televisa

By SOFIA CASTELLO Y TICKELL and JENNIFER PRESTON

Thousands protested outside the television studios of Televisa starting Thursday night, claiming that Mexico's major television broadcaster delivered biased coverage of the July 1 presidential election.

Blocking entrances to the network's studios in Mexico City into Friday, the crowd of mostly students shouted “Tell the truth,” as they made it difficult for employees to get in and out.

It was the latest effort by the student movement that started last May to try and drive change around issues of freedom of expression and raise concerns about corruption, even though they were unable to influence the outcome of the July 1 presidential election.

From London, where he is covering the Olympics, Joaquín López-Dóriga, one of the television network's biggest stars, complained on Twitter that the protesters were keeping his colleagues from returning home. He included a p hoto of a colleague sleeping under a desk.

The post prompted unfavorable comments about Mr. López-Dóriga and fueled the anger from the crowd, both online and offline, over accusations that Televisa provided favorable coverage of Enrique Peña Nieto, the winner of the presidential election.

Perceived media manipulation of public opinion during the presidential contest by Televisa became a major focus for the student movement since it began last May, calling itself #YoSoy132 after its Twitter hashtag.

Video from the protest and from Televisa's broadcast.

The Guardian reported that a unit in Televisa was set up to provide favorable coverage of Mr. Peña Nieto and his political party.

Last weekend, 30,000 people showed up for Mexico City's latest mass protest with people shouting, “Peña is not our president,” nearly a month after Mr. Peña Nieto won the election with 38.8 percent of the vote.

Similar protests took place in cities across Mexico, including Monterrey and Oaxaca, dismissing some questions that the student movement would fade after the July 1 election.

In interviews at the march, protesters said they believed that their presence at demonstrations could play a role in shaping the debate over Mexico's future and in keeping the Mr. Peña Nieto's party, the PRI â€" the Institutional Revolutionary Party â€" from returning to the autocratic, corrupt form of government that defined its reign from 1929 to 2000.

“At minimum, we want it to be understood that society has matured and changed and become more demanding,” said Dr. Raimundo Yanes, a physician. “We can't be fooled that easily a nymore.”

The student movement began at a private university, but the demonstration last weekend and the protest on Thursday included students, union workers and people from myriad backgrounds. The future of the #YoSoy132 is unknown, but some members said that they could begin to forge a more strategic path now that they were no longer dealing with the timeline of an election.

“You have people of few means marching along with the elites,” said Sebastian Mitl, a student. “There is such a wide gamut of visions.”

Mr. Mitl described the movement as an “escape valve” for the frustrations of Mexican society.

“I want a different Mexico,” said Ariel Tonatiuh, a schoolboy with closely cropped hair, adding that some of his friends have also become intere sted in politics. “One without violence and corruption.”



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