Below is shown Table 2; it presents the analytic logic of the constructed categories for the argumentative analysis.

Table 2. Analytic organization of the social communication laws in the Mexican subnational space

Source: Compiled by the autor

Table 2 presents the five categories organized by the descending hierarchy of their occurrence percentages. The first category, related to accountability and data protection, has 65 state laws (45.15%) that regulate the right of information. According to some authors (Bohmann, 1994; Fernández, 1993; Gutiérrez, 2005; Ramírez, 2008; Villanueva, 1995), this topic has been on the debate with academics and the organized civil society since the decade of 1970 in Mexico. This category refers to the unrestricted access to public information generated by the Obligated Institutions; as a consequence of the technological innovations, personal data of the users is exposed. It was necessary to establish a guideline to protect personal data; in this way, the right of information to incorporate the right of choosing the use of personal data given by the exchange of services. This category is the widest because of the imposed obligation for the federation of subnational entities to generate its regulations.

The second category, freedom of expression and right of audiences, is the nucleus of the guarantee of information and communication that should be recognized and protected for all individuals. Twenty-one laws for journalists protection are here, their professional exercise and welfare; plus three state awards laws of journalism, two are child audience protection laws, and one is printing law presenting a total of 27 (18.75%). This set allows considering that there is a concern in the subnational entities to protect the journalistic activity, which is a symbol of freedom of expression, and it is necessary for the consolidation of a democratic State; it constitutes a vertical form of accountability (Isaza, 2015).