Isabel Mercado

Isabel Mercado has worked with Semanario Zeta, Newsweek Baja California and El Sol de Tijuana. While working on two investigative reports with the Border Center, the reporter faced the difficult challenge of sorting through over 30,000 pages and 420 unorganized contracts sent in boxes. In addition the state asked her to pay 40,000 pesos for printed copies of the information that she had requested. With the help of Daniela Guazo, her assigned mentor, the journalist developed a way to systematize, take notes, and sort through data found in the public documents obtained using Mexico’s transparency laws. The reporter then recruited her two sons to organize, sift through the paper contracts scattered all over the floor of her house, and record information in an Excel sheet. As a result, Isabel Mercado published two investigative reports revealing direct contracting practices used during the pandemic,  as well as millions of public funds assigned to friends of the former governor of Baja California.

Investigations: Los millonarios de la pandemia: Proveedores irregulares y sin solvencia económica - Funcionario de Baja California obtiene contratos millonarios al margen de la ley