A leaked audio recording has placed the mayor of Pachuca—Jorge Reyes, a member of the MORENA party—at the center of an intense controversy. In the recording, the mayor is heard demanding that employees within his administration “like” and share his official social media posts, under the implicit threat of dismissal if they fail to do so.
The material initially began circulating within internal municipal employee groups and, within a few hours, went viral across various digital platforms. The leak has sparked harsh criticism from the public, who point to a potential misuse of government infrastructure for purposes of personal self-promotion.
According to the content of the audio, the meeting reportedly took place with trusted personnel within the City Council. In the most controversial excerpt, the voice—attributed to Reyes—complains about a lack of digital support and establishes a system of participation quotas:
Strict Supervision: A clear instruction is heard requiring each department to submit a “weekly verification” of the digital support provided by its team.
Forced Metrics: The mayor notes that if 200 new members have joined the administration, every post must register—at a minimum—200 shares.
Employment Threat: A warning is issued stating that those who do not participate in this dissemination strategy will be fired.
The circulation of this material has unleashed a wave of questions regarding the ethics of the municipal government. Social media users have characterized the measure as a strategy to artificially inflate the mayor’s public image, while denouncing it as unjustified workplace pressure that infringes upon employees’ autonomy regarding their personal social media accounts.
As of noon on Tuesday, May 12, Jorge Reyes has not issued any official statement nor offered any comments to confirm or deny the authenticity of the recording, even as social and media pressure continues to mount in the Hidalgo state capital.
