Pancho Villa, Carlos Slim, and the New York Times

When my mother visited recently I found a video at Blockbuster for her: "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself" starring Antonio Banderas. It was a fascinating film, although the depiction of Pancho Villa made my mother angry. One interesting fact brought out in the film was that William Randolph Hearst had his newspapers vilify Pancho Villa because Villa's revolution was costing Hearst money.

So newspaper owners use their newspapers to promote their person business interests rather than to focus on telling the truth to the readers, fancy that. But now the worm is turning. The Monday February 16 issue of the New York Times ran an article about Carlos Slim increasing his interest in the New York Times: "The Reticent Media Baron" by Marc Lacy, Page 1 of the Business Section.

Once American newspapers interfered with Mexican affairs during one of Mexico's revolutions. It looks like before long a Mexican will gain control of the New York Times and begin pulling its strings.

The Los Angeles Times has been dismantled by its new corporate owners. Rupert Murdoch owns the Wall Street Journal and I'm waiting to see the quality of business reporting disintegrate. How long before Carlos Slim gains operational control of the New York Times and muzzles it? Is our free press disappearing?

Robert Canright

PS
My mother is from Chihuahua and has talked to me about Pancho Villa since I was a child. We still have money minted by Pancho Villa. He is a hero to some in Chihuahua.