All the news that’s Slim’s to print?

Has Carlos Slim turned on the government here?

Early this morning a post appeared on NoticiaMX.blogspot.com,”Carlos Slim pone en jaque a políticos mexicanos, incluido a Enrique Peña Nieto (Carlos Slim puts a brake on Mexican politicians, including Enrique Peña Nieto).

Noting that Slim is “a shareholder” in the New York Times (heck, he owns 28 million shares, just under 17% of the company), but with no attribution beyond “analysts believe”, NoticaMX lays the spate of recent investigative reports by the Times (and other foreign media) into tax evasion, the suspicious wealth of various Mexican politicians (like reports on the U.S. properties owned by former Oaxaca governor José Murat), the Swissleaks scandal (with the “usual suspects” figuring among those used shell corporations in “financial paradises” to hide cash then stashed in HSBC’s Swiss outlet) to Slim’s influence over The Times, and to his apparent desire to “lay down an open challenge the regime and let loose the demons that plague the country”.

NoticaMX’s reasoning is that Slim is willing to play a risky game of chicken with the PRI, although they (or their analysts) don’t seem to know what his motives would be… revenge? Disgust? Patriotism?

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Slim has control over the editorial content of The Times, but it would seem reasonable that given his power in the boardroom, it would be reasonable to expect the editorial staff to pay more attention to the Mexican elites, including Slim.

While I’m not one who thinks Carlos Slim is a scoundrel, I know my opinion is in the minority among foreign lefties. But so what? To misuse Maimonides … better one scoundrel go free than 99 go free (of at least public scorn).