President Claudia Sheinbaum questioned how businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego acquired TV Azteca during its privatization process during a recent press conference.
This confrontation signals a deepening rift between the Mexican government and one of the country's most powerful media moguls. The dispute centers on the role of private broadcasting in shaping public perception of the current administration.
Speaking during the "mañanera," the daily morning press conference in Mexico City on May 6, 2026 [1], Sheinbaum targeted the owner of TV Azteca. She said the network has maintained a constant offensive and spread false information against her government and the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador [1].
Sheinbaum demanded transparency regarding the original privatization deal that allowed Salinas Pliego to obtain the network [1]. The president said the need for this transparency is linked to the broadcaster's ongoing campaign of misinformation [1].
Salinas Pliego responded to the comments via SDP Noticias. He said the president's mentions of Elektra during the May 6 press conference were an "equivocada referencia," or mistaken reference [2].
The tension between the executive branch and the media conglomerate has persisted across two administrations. By calling into question the legality or ethics of the privatization process, Sheinbaum is shifting the conflict from a debate over editorial content to a challenge of the businessman's corporate origins [1].
“Sheinbaum questioned how businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego acquired TV Azteca during its privatization process.”
The president's decision to scrutinize the privatization of TV Azteca suggests a strategy of leveraging state oversight to pressure media outlets that are critical of the government. By questioning the legitimacy of the network's ownership, the administration moves beyond rebutting specific news reports and instead challenges the legal and ethical foundation of the broadcaster's existence.
