Proceso (magazine)

"Proceso" (Spanish: "Process") is a Mexican magazine published in Mexico City. It was founded on November 6, 1976 by journalist Julio Scherer García, its current president. "Proceso" is renowned for its left-wing journalism.

History

Political pressure on "Excélsior"

This magazine was founded during the term of President of Mexico Luis Echeverría Álvarez after political pressure caused Scherer to be expelled from his position of editor of "Excélsior". Artists and intellectuals donated paintings, ceramics, sculptures and photographs to be auctioned to finance Comunicación e Información, S.A. (CISA), the magazine's publishing company.

"Proceso" is founded

Scherer and other ex-columnists and reporters founded "Proceso", edited by CISA. The first years of the magazine were difficult and the board had problems issuing paychecks to its staff. A year later, the director of "Proceso", Miguel Ángel Granados Chapa quit to join the newspaper "Unomásuno". Then Gastón García Cantú, a columnist, left the publication because of an article published in "Proceso" questioning his designation as director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History. During the presidency of José López Portillo(cousin of Scherer) there was a flirting with the magazine that finished with Lopez Portillo's anger, saying "No pago para que me peguen (I don't pay to be beaten)" and pressuring the magazine by withdrawing governmental advertisements.

In 2000, Francisco Ortiz Pinchetti, one of the founders and most known reporters of the magazine, with his son, Francisco Ortiz Pardo, a reporter himself, covered Vicente Fox´s campaign. One of their texts was changed and mutilated by editorial board, to present Fox in a negative light. After a public correction was published in the magazine, both were expelled without explanations. The story was explained in the book "El fenómeno Fox: la historia que Proceso censuró" [http://www.etcetera.com.mx/pag10ne15.asp]

Fox presidency

In 2003, Argentine author Olga Wornat published "La jefa" ("She-chief") about the wife of president Vicente Fox, Marta Sahagún and her sons. Federal deputy Ricardo Scheffield asked the federal government to investigate the claims of corruption raised by Wornat. In 2005, Wormat published a second book, "Crónicas malditas" ("Cursed chronicles"), about Sahagún and her sons. An article was published on "Proceso" on February 27 of the same year about the dissolution Sahagún's first marriage (claims of domestic violence were made against her then-husband) and about the "suspicious" businesses of Sahagún's sons.

On May 3 of the same year, Marta Sahagún filed a civil lawsuit before the Tribunal Superior de Justicia del Distrito Federal (Supreme Tribunal of Justice of the Federal District) against Wornat and Proceso for "moral damages" and breach of privacy. Manuel Bibriesca Sahagún, son of Marta, filed a separate lawsuit against Wornat.

On November 27 of 2005, "Proceso" published an article titled "Amistades peligrosas" ("Dangerous friendships"), wherein Raquenel Villanueva, a lawyer who has defended drug kingpins, declares she met Fernando Bribiesca Sahagún, son of Marta, in 2003 with Jaime Valdez Martinez, a client of hers. The Procuraduría General de la República considers Valdez one of the representatives of drug cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera. Currently, the Chamber of Deputies is investigating the Bribiesca sons.

Shortly after the death of Pope John Paul II, "Proceso" had the famous cover (April 2005, issue 1484) of a broadly smiling Marta Sahagún dressed in black while her husband was in a press conference after attending the Pope's funeral (both Martha and Fox declare themselves devout Christians and traveled to the funeral).

taff

Board

* President: Julio Scherer García
* Vice president: Vicente Leñero
* Editor: Rafael Rodríguez Castañeda

Columnists

* Denise Dresser
* Miguel Ángel Granados Chapa
* Carlos Monsiváis
* Carlos Montemayor
* Carlos Tello
* Jorge Volpi

External links

*
*: Database of images published on the magazine
* ("Julio Scherer's Process"), article on "Revista Mexicana de la Comunicación (Microsoft Word" document)