The Superior Chamber of the TEPJF eliminated variable 14 from the INE's radio and television monitoring methodology for the 2026-2027 electoral process on August 26, 2026. The criterion sought to detect indirect discursive mechanisms for disqualifying candidacies, and the full court struck it down on the grounds that it could inhibit press freedom.
The variable was part of the methodology and catalog of radio and television programs broadcasting news, approved by the INE's General Council on July 9, 2026, for monitoring pre-campaigns and campaigns in the federal process, according to Aristegui Noticias. The Tribunal found that identifying those mechanisms depended on the judgment of the person conducting the monitoring, based on subjective parameters. Reforma reported on August 26 that the monitoring no longer includes the category of contempt toward candidates and parties. The decision responds to a challenge filed by CIRT, the chamber grouping radio and television concession holders. The adjustment redefines, before pre-campaigns begin, which expressions can be classified as disqualification in radio and television coverage.
The ruling, approved unanimously on the proposal of electoral magistrate Claudia Valle Aguilasocho, struck down the variable in case files SUP-RAP-185/2026 and SUP-RAP-188/2026. CIRT argued that the variable violated freedom of expression and access to plural information, and that it was not consulted on its implementation. The TEPJF recalled that playful resources such as satire and parody are protected by freedom of expression, and that candidacies bear a greater duty of tolerance toward criticism. The full court also dismissed a second CIRT appeal on the same controversy, finding it had become moot following the ruling. The tribunal emphasized that the decision seeks to protect press freedom and citizens' right to receive plural information during the federal process.
With the 2026-2027 electoral process underway, the ruling sets the standard for monitoring the next calendar stages: satire and journalistic criticism fall outside the disqualification classification. The figure to watch is how the INE adjusts its methodology for the federal congressional pre-campaign period.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.