Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
NATIONAL—In response to Univision’s interview with former President Donald J. Trump, Hispanic Federation led a sign on letter with the support of four of the largest Latino-led organizations across the country to express their disappointment and deep concern over Univision’s election coverage. In the letter, HF, Mi Familia Vota, UnidosUS, Voto Latino, and Latino Victory also demand a meeting with Univision’s top executives to understand why the organization chose to conduct such an interview and what the community can expect in the future from this extremely important news organization.
As stated in the letter: as one of the most important sources of news for millions of Latinos in the United States, Univision bears a special responsibility to challenge and hold accountable politicians of both parties around their language, policies, and positions, and how they impact our families and neighborhoods.
The full letter can be found here and directly below along with a list of signatories:
November 17, 2023
Wade C. Davis
Chief Executive Officer
TelevisaUnivision
Dear Mr. Davis:
We write to you as the leaders of some of the nation’s largest Latino nonprofit organizations to express our disappointment and deep concern over Enrique Acevedo’s recent interview with former President Donald Trump. As one of the most important sources of news for millions of Latinos in the United States, Univision reaches into the homes and businesses of our communities and bears a special responsibility to challenge and hold accountable politicians of both parties around their language, policies, and positions, and how they impact our families and neighborhoods.
Mr. Acevedo’s interview with President Trump failed to honor that responsibility. President Trump is not only the former president of the nation, he is also the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 Presidential election and the de facto leader of the Republican Party. In other words, the former President’s record – and what he says and promises to do – matters to Latinos and all Americans.
But President Trump’s importance as a national political figure cannot mean than he is free from challenge and accountability. Precisely the opposite. It is exactly because President Trump figures so prominently in his party and the nation’s political landscape that he should be subjected to serious and deliberate examination by the media. Unfortunately, the viewers of Mr. Acevedo’s interview were witness to a presidential candidate making false declarations – and, in some cases, advancing long- debunked arguments – without the slightest challenge from the seasoned journalist who sat across from him. Whether he was talking about immigration, the 2020 election, military spending, nuclear proliferation, climate change, relations with Latin America, the current Mideast crisis, or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Acevedo asked questions and then allowed President Trump to go on largely without questioning his facts, his arguments, or his analysis.
Several press reports detailing the backstory of Univision’s decision to do a “softball interview” with President Trump intimated that this is part of a broader strategy by the network to establish a closer relationship with the former President. While we certainly hope that is not true, we must admit that the network’s decision to cancel ads from the Biden-Harris campaign that were to have run during commercial breaks and not allowing a representative from the campaign to refute the former president on-air is confounding.
As national Latino leaders, we need to hear directly from you why Univision chose to conduct such an interview in this manner and what we can expect in the future from this extremely important news organization for our community. We expect and demand a meeting with Univision’s top executives to discuss these critically important questions.
We are less than one year away from the next presidential contest. All Americans, including Spanish- speaking Americans, are entitled to professional journalism that helps them better understand the complex nation in which they live and work and the equally complex challenges that we face. The more educated citizens are, the better prepared they are to make the electoral choices that best serve them and their communities. The Spanish-language press carries the additional burden of reporting and explaining issues that have special resonance with our communities. Until this week, Univision had a long and proud history of producing the kind of journalism that acknowledged that burden. We hope it will remember that history and live up to it.
Sincerely,
Frankie Miranda
President and CEO
Hispanic Federation
Hector Sanchez Barba
President and CEO
Mi Familia Vota
Janet Murguía
President and CEO
UnidosUS
María Teresa Kumar
President
Voto Latino
Sindy Benavides
President & CEO
Latino Victory
