Univision’s recent interview with former President Donald Trump has outraged Democratic politicians and progressive activists.
If they were calling out a conservative media outlet like Fox News or Newsmax, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
But they’re criticizing a Spanish-language network for supposedly going soft on Trump.
Veteran Democratic operative María Cardona accused Univision of working to “mask the pernicious and dangerous policy that Donald Trump is going to implement if he is president again,” while a group of 70 far-left Hispanic advocacy groups sent a letter to the chain dome. Bosses declared the interview a “betrayal of trust.”
However, most media observers would acknowledge that Univision is far from conservative.
In fact, from top news anchor Jorge Ramos, who publicly espouses progressive political positions on issues the news department covers, to the producers who ensure national news coverage is dominated by Democratic partisans, Univision has long adhered to time to a liberal editorial line.
So why is the left pursuing what has been a reliably pro-Democratic platform?
The only reason for the left’s new interest in journalistic standards in Spanish-language media is that as it loses control over the Hispanic electorate, it is counting on the support of Univision to push its tired argument that Trump is somehow anathema. for Hispanics.
Univision seems to not want to continue playing that game.
You may have come to understand that it is not good business to take sides, as poll after poll shows that Hispanics are moving closer to the Republican Party and closer to Trump.
And it would be false for the Hispanic media to paint an rosy picture of the state of the nation under President Biden’s leadership.
Hispanic families are struggling as the cost of living skyrockets due to higher prices.
Newly arrived illegal immigrants are invading their communities, putting a strain on public resources.
And most Hispanics dislike the Biden administration’s aggressive woke agenda, which they see as contrary to their cultural values.
Not surprisingly, a majority of Hispanics disapprove of the president’s job performance in key battleground states: 57% according to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
Therefore, it would make a lot of sense for Univision to want to offer a more balanced approach to the news.
That’s certainly what we saw in the Trump interview. Contrary to what left-wing critics maintain, it was not a “softball” interview.
Enrique Acevedo, an experienced journalist, asked penetrating questions on numerous topics.
It was not the standard Jorge Ramos interview where immigration dominates almost the entire discussion, as if that were the only or the most important issue that worries Hispanics.
Acevedo also allowed Trump to respond, rather than engaging him in a rancorous debate, as Ramos would have done, but continued with key points.
The interview was so effective that many media outlets made reference to it due to the important news it generated.
Univision should not pay attention to criticism from progressive Hispanic organizations or elites such as actor John Leguizamo or “The View” host and socialite Ana Navarro.
The first even called for a boycott of the chain.
Most Hispanics don’t care what these groups and individuals have to say.
The network’s viewers are going to continue watching its soap operas and newscasts because they enjoy them and want to be informed.
In fact, if Univision wants to preserve its loyal audience, it should reject, in its editorial approach and overall narrative about the Hispanic community, the condescending notion that progressive Hispanic elites have advanced for decades that Hispanics have the same views on most important topics. facing the country.
This is simply not true.
Hispanics are not monolithic. They have diverse opinions and appreciate hearing a variety of political perspectives.
Just as Democrats and their leftist acolytes mistakenly thought for decades that Hispanics were indebted to them, they cannot stand now that arguably the most watched Spanish-language network in the country has decided to give equal time and fair treatment to Republicans and conservatives.
The only option they have to avoid this possibility is to try to intimidate Univision into changing its course.
Good luck with that!
Alfonso Aguilar is the director of Hispanic engagement at the American Principles Project.
