Activists Targeting Mexican Primetime Narconovelas Simon Schatzberg - Fusion
go to original September 29, 2016

El señor de los cielos - Trailer (Telemundo EMDT)

Mexicans love narcoseries and narconovelas — TV programs about drug traffickers and the lives they lead. But not all Mexicans are tuning in. Some people think the drug shows are just glorifying crime and violence, and contributing to the country’s overall levels of insecurity. And they want it to stop.

Last week, Mexican media consumer advocacy group A Favor de lo Mejor (AFM) started a campaign to prevent narcoseries from airing on primetime television, as is stipulated by Mexican law. AFM published an open letter accusing local TV networks of planning to illegally broadcast narcoseries in primetime slots in a bid to increase viewership. AFM’s letter urged the government to enforce the law.

The campaign, hashtagged as #NoaNarcoSeries (No to Narcoseries), quickly became a trending topic on Mexican Twitter as people squared off to attack and defend narco-themed TV.

AFM president Francisco González Garza, who’s leading the charge against the primetime airing of such shows, says the seemingly frivolous fictional worlds of narcoseries have real life consequences in Mexico.

“Narcoseries show us drug traffickers that have apparently enviable lives, full of luxury, power and money,” he told Fusion. “And all of these descriptions make people — especially vulnerable populations — think that drug trafficking could be an option for them.”

Most popular narcoseries, including El señor de los cielos, Señora Acero and Rosario Tijeras, have a “D” rating in Mexico, which means they’re considered suitable for viewers 21 and older, and therefore are restricted to airing on television between midnight and 6 a.m.

But according to some Mexican outlets, media conglomerate Televisión Azteca has plans to schedule the first season of its adaptation of the Colombian narconovela Rosario Tijeras at 9 p.m. in Mexico City, when it premiers in November. Fusion reached out to Televisión Azteca for comment, but did not receive a response.

Read the rest at Fusion

Related: Narcos: The Problem with Hollywood’s Obsession Over Latino Drug Lords (Fusion)

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