Mexican president defends sharing private information of New York Times bureau chief

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY(AA) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday that it was not a mistake to disclose the telephone number of the New York Times Mexico bureau chief, who is writing a story linking him to organized crime.

"It is a matter in which the dignity of the president of Mexico is at stake, and I represent a country, I represent people that deserves respect ... we are not criminals, we have moral authority, not just anyone can come and accuse us," he said.

On Feb. 22, the Mexican leader shared Natalie Kitroeff’s contact information, including her phone number, during a televised news conference.

The president shared a list of questions sent by Kitroeff to government offices regarding a forthcoming report by the newspaper on a probe by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) into Lopez Obrador's alleged ties with Mexican drug cartels. Kitroeff's number was visible inside the questionnaire displayed by Lopez Obrador.

The newspaper published the story on Feb. 22 but it did not present any evidence to support the accusations.

The New York Times condemned the president's actions on Feb. 22.

"This is a troubling and unacceptable tactic from a world leader at a time when threats against journalists are on the rise," it wrote on X.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined in support of Kitroeff and criticized Lopez Obrador for sharing private information in the context of generalized violence against journalists in Mexico.

"CPJ is deeply concerned about Mexican president Lopez Obrador's comments earlier today about New York Times reporting and his publicly revealing the private cell phone number of NYT's Mexico Bureau Chief Natalie Kitroeff," it said Feb. 22.
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The National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI), the Mexican agency in charge of protecting the personal and private information of citizens, announced it would begin an investigation against Lopez Obrador's actions.

When questioned about his actions, Lopez Obrador argued that they are above possible legal backlash derived from sharing Kitroeff's information under the basis of liberty.

"There can be no regulation, there can be no law above the sublime principle of freedom. It is forbidden to prohibit," he said.