By: Janelle Matous*
Two months ago, the Mexican government purchased a 14-page advertorial that ran in TIME magazine. Now, President Peña Nieto will appear on the cover of TIME’s international edition released today, posing above the headline “Saving Mexico”— an editorial choice that has sparked controversy and accusations that TIME has essentially sold good publicity to the Mexican government.
Coincidentally, the edition was released less than a week after President Obama met with Peña Nieto in Mexico during the North American Leaders Summit and just days after the arrest of drug king pin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman.
Immediately after the cover’s appearance online last week, Twitter users began criticizing TIME, and memes parodying the cover began to crop up all over the Internet. One meme replaces a suited Peña Nieto with images of him dressed as the grim reaper posing above the headline “Slaying Mexico”.
Other parody covers feature images of Mexican workers and vigilantes above the original headline “Saving Mexico”-- Some add “from Peña Nieto” below that headline.
On Twitter, the hashtag #SavingMexico was used during fiery exchanges debating the cover and TIME’s coverage of the president. One Twitter user shared the image of an elderly woman holding an assault rifle along with the tweet, “No Mexican politician does anything good, people here SAVE THEMSELVES”.
Michael Crowley, the article’s author, responded to criticism with tweets such as, “Remarkable how many critics of Mexico’s president seem to believe I must have literally taken a bribe to write a positive story about him."
The allegations of bribery stem from blogger Bill Conroy who says the bought advertorial and “puff” cover article are too similar not to raise questions about the influence of advertising on editorial content. He says both pieces conclude that “important political, social and economic changes in Mexico make the country an attractive destination” and skirt issues of violence and poverty in Mexico.
TIME responded in a statement posted on Conroy’s blog that they do “not accept payment in exchange for editorial coverage under any circumstances. Rates listed on TIME’s public media kit refer to the cost of advertising with TIME and have nothing to do with editorial content.”
Not everyone has been so critical of the article and cover. According to the Global Post, while the article “portrays a country on an upswing- at least, in New York investors’ eyes" it also "hits on some of Mexico's deeply entrenched problems of corruption and violent crime, and interviews critics of the administration as well as supporters."
The influence of advertising on journalism has generated widespread discussion, including recent debate on the use of advertorials.
*Janelle Matous is a student in the class"Journalism in Latin America" at the University of Texas
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
