Luis Alberto López

Luis Alberto López is a young independent reporter who published his first investigative report with the Border Center’s help and mentorship. When the journalist started the investigation, he had never used Mexico’s transparency laws to request public information and struggled to get useful data for an investigation on the Laguna Metrobus public transportation project. Lorena Lamas – his mentor – advised that he cite Mexico’s access to information laws when seeking out specific data on public contract assignments and spending. As a result, the reporter gained access to 13 contracts listing the names and ownership of the companies in charge of the infrastructure project. 

Furthermore, the mentor helped López to develop an Excel database to organize and track information tied to the investigation. The mentor also advised that he stop, clearly define what he wanted to prove because he would otherwise get lost or overwhelmed sorting the information gathered. According to López, the Border Center mentorship changed how he thinks about journalism because he learned to devise several plans for anti-corruption investigations. He followed up by saying “This is very important because, a lot of times, reporters don’t think beyond a specific scenario; we are tied down to a singular idea that may be untimely or untenable.”

Investigation: La inacabable ruta del Metrobús Laguna