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Mexico’s Club de Periodistas is a nonprofit association based in Mexico City that describes itself as an organization that has “promoted journalistic excellence since 1952.” Its secretary-general, Celeste Sáenz de Miera, has publicly said that, in her view, “lying deliberately is a [communications] crime.”
Every year, the Club hosts the “National and International Journalism Awards” to “elevate the profession,” recognizing hundreds of Mexican journalists. However, for years, it has awarded nearly all of its international prizes to Russian propagandists and disinformers from various countries — some of whom have been convicted of defamation.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Club has awarded medals and diplomas to nearly 20 media outlets funded by Vladimir Putin’s government, including to a Russian oligarch facing criminal charges in the United States.
Below are some examples:
Jackson Hinkle, promoter of Russian disinformation
In November 2023, Jackson Hinkle traveled to Mexico City to receive the award for “Best International Analysis.” Sáenz de Miera praised what she described as his “reliable and balanced information.”
But Hinkle is a well-known influencer who promotes Russian disinformation, maintains close ties with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, and has a California-registered company called “Fake News Media LLC,” where he lists himself as “chief propagandist.”
Hinkle has described himself as a “patriot,” a “Marxist-Leninist,” a “MAGA communist,” pro-Russia, pro-China and pro-fossil fuels — while also calling himself “anti-woke” and “pro-gun.” In October 2024, he co-founded an organization called the “American Communist Party.” Recently, he spread conspiracy theories about the killing of Charlie Kirk, accusing Israel –without evidence– of orchestrating the Sept. 10, 2025 attack at the University of Utah.
Tsargrad, a Russian propaganda outlet owned by oligarch Konstantin Malofeev
“This is your Mexican home,” Sáenz de Miera told then-Russian ambassador Viktor Koronelli in 2023, as she presented an award to Russian propaganda outlet Tsargrad for its Ukraine war coverage. When accepting the award, Koronelli said Tsargrad was one of the largest “news companies” in Russia, adding: “We have other media in Russia, and I believe that in the coming years all of them will receive these types of awards.”
Tsargrad’s owner, Konstantin Malofeev, is linked to the Russian Orthodox Church and is described as a “Russian oligarch” by the U.S. Department of Justice. Malofeev was indicted in the United States in 2022 for allegedly attempting to illegally transfer $10 million deposited in a Texas bank to an individual in Greece, in an effort to evade U.S. sanctions. The outlet also receives funding from the Russian government, according to a 2023 sanctions report by the Council of the European Union.
Other awardees who have promoted disinformation
Alex Jones, founder of the U.S. site InfoWars, was also honored in 2017. Jones was ordered in 2022 to pay $965 million in damages after spending years claiming that the December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was staged and that the parents of the 20 murdered children were “actors hired to keep up the charade.”
Daniel Estulin, awarded in 2021 when he was a host on RT, has promoted climate-change denial, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and anti-LGBTQ+ narratives, portraying LGBTQ+ communities as part of a supposed “satanism” that should be “eliminated” in the same way Russia has done — as revealed by Animal Político, a LatamChequea member like Factchequeado.
Liu Sivaya, a Russian political commentator awarded in 2022, has spread pro-Russia disinformation — such as the false claim that Ukraine staged the attack and casualties at the maternity hospital in Mariupol.
Guillermo Rocafort, a Russian propagandist awarded in 2023 and a member of the judging panel in 2024, was convicted by a Madrid court in 2024 for spreading false statements about journalist Ana Pastor, founder of Newtral. The conviction was upheld by Spain’s Supreme Court in July 2025. Rocafort also spreads Kremlin-aligned narratives and conspiracy theories on X.
In a letter to Factchequeado, the Club’s directors said the contest “does not accept sponsorship of any kind” and that its evaluation methods are “transparent, autonomous and plural.” However, they did not publish or detail those methods, and they do not appear on the Club’s website.
A prize that does not represent the Mexican journalism community
Mexican journalists and academics have questioned the legitimacy of the Club’s awards, referring to them as “second-tier prizes.” In 2023, Animal Político documented how the Club honored or appointed as judges individuals who promote disinformation and conspiracy theories.
In Mexico, the most respected and widely recognized journalism award is granted by the Citizen Council of the National Journalism Prize.
“Given the appearance of other initiatives, the Citizen Council of the National Journalism Prize AC clarifies that this is the only legitimate award, based on autonomy and transparency. This recognition is civic and independent of any political interest, as established by the repeal of the Law on Awards, Stimuli and Civil Honors,” the Council stated in December 2024.
This statement came after so-called “independent” communicators aligned with Morena, the ruling party, publicly claimed to be winners of the “National Journalism Prize” after receiving recognitions from the Club.
Similarly, RT correspondents in Mexico — such as Paola Guzmán — claim in their X biographies to be “National Journalism Prize” recipients, when in fact the award they received was from the Club de Periodistas, not from the Citizen Council.
Unlike the Club’s awards, the National Journalism Prize is overseen by representatives from major Mexican universities, media associations, chambers and foundations. Its presidency rotates; currently, and until 2026, it is held by the rector of the University of Guanajuato, Claudia Susana Gómez López. Previously, it was held by José Antonio de los Reyes Heredia, rector of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana.
To select the winners, the Council’s assembly evaluates the profiles of journalists, academics, activists and media professionals who make up the judging panel. The Council’s website lists the jurors’ names and backgrounds from 2001 to the present.
By contrast, the Club de Periodistas does not publish information about its awards, its judges or its selection process. The information exists only in scattered editions of its magazine Voces del Periodista. Its calls for entries simply state that the jury is composed of “prominent figures of Mexican and international journalism.”
Factchequeado is a fact-checking outlet building a Spanish-speaking community to counter mis- and disinformation in the United States. Want to join? Send us the content you receive through WhatsApp at +1 (646) 873-6087 or visit factchequeado.com/whatsapp.
