Mexican judge imposes gag order on journalist and newspaper over governor coverage

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 23 July 2025

A judge in Campeche has enforced a gag order on journalist Jorge Luis González and the newspaper Tribuna regarding coverage of Governor Layda Sansores. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the ruling as part of a broader pattern of legal harassment against critical media.

Summary

MEXICO CITY—Information provided by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reveals that a judge in the southeastern Mexican state of Campeche has imposed a gag order on veteran journalist Jorge Luis González Valdez and the newspaper Tribuna, restricting their coverage of Governor Layda Sansores. CPJ has urged Governor Sansores to immediately halt all judicial harassment of the journalist and the publication.

On Tuesday, a state judge ruled that any article mentioning Governor Sansores must receive court approval before publication. In a further move, Jorge Luis González—Tribuna’s editorial director for 30 years until his 2017 retirement—was directed to submit any future material referencing the governor to the court for pre-approval.

“The verdict against Jorge Luis González and Tribuna is nothing less than a gag order that constitutes a clear case of the courts siding with a state governor in overt efforts to silence any critical reporting of her administration,” said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico representative. “CPJ is alarmed by the sharp increase in lawfare against critical media in Mexico, where journalists continue to be attacked with almost complete impunity.”

This ruling is the latest development in an escalating legal campaign by Sansores against González and Tribuna, whom she sued on June 13, 2025. She accused them of spreading hatred and causing moral damages due to their reporting on her administration.

According to González, it remains unclear which specific reports triggered the governor’s lawsuit. He also questioned why he is being targeted despite having retired from Tribuna in 2017.

An earlier ruling had ordered González to pay moral damages of 2 million pesos (around USD 110,000) and barred him and Tribuna from mentioning the governor in any report. That sentence was suspended on July 9, after González filed a successful injunction, citing constitutional protections against censorship before publication—a document CPJ reviewed.

González said he intends to appeal, although the legal avenues available to him remain uncertain.

CPJ attempted to contact Governor Sansores for comment, but repeated calls to her office went unanswered.

Photo caption: A Mexican court issued a gag order on reporter-editor Jorge Luis González Valdez (pictured) and the newspaper Tribuna in July 2025. (Screenshot: Milenio/YouTube)

This report is based on information provided by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).