#ChangeTheNumber
BACKGROUND
Opinión 51 is a news organization in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries for journalism. Fed up by the government's inaction and compliance with anti-news groups, they decided to come up with a movement that would spark a conversation around the dangers of Mexican journalism. In doing so, they sought to encourage the Mexican public to speak to their representatives, and demand more strict measures to protect journalists in the country.
On February 22, 2024, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador decided to leak the personal cell phone number of the New York Times bureau chief in Mexico City. He did so in a country that is widely considered to be one of the most dangerous places for journalism, even surpassing countries that are considered active warzones.
When confronted with the possible implications of his actions, the president advised the doxxed journalist to simply “change her number”. This statement came during the last months of the president's time in office, during which more than 43 journalists had been murdered in the country.
IDEA
RESULTS
The campaign managed to generate more than 200 million impressions, and was covered by several national and international news organizations, such as El Universal and Forbes. The conversation was huge, with more than 36,000 unique authors interacting with our hashtag. More importantly, after release, we received 2,000 calls for each day that the campaign was live. A few days after launch, a formal investigation was launched against the Mexican president.
