Mexican president defends disclosure of journalist's purported salary

FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gestures during a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday defended his decision last week to disclose the purported salary of a prominent journalist, a step which drew widespread criticism at a time of heightened concern for reporters' security in the country.

On Friday, Lopez Obrador divulged what he said was the 2021 salary of journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, who has published details about a home in Texas rented by a son of the president that belonged to an executive from a company doing business with state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex).