We have often stated that the nation’s Spanish language corporate media are the largest source and spreaders Spanish-language disinformation to a vulnerable public that depends on these news divisions for information about the current events. Recent polls have confirmed our long-held belief.
According to the Bienvenido/WPA poll, viewers of Univision newscasts and Telemundo newscasts often misunderstand key issues. This is directly due to the networks’ unbridled activist impulses. We have found that the networks often present the most extreme left-wing frames on any given story.
69% of Univision/Telemundo viewers believed that Donald Trump had called all immigrants “animals” in May 2018.
Below, Tucker Carlson and Enrique Acevedo, then-Univision anchors, argue over the term. Keep in mind that Acevedo was entirely reflecting how newsrooms reported the statement at that time. (Click “expand to view full transcript).
TUCKER CARLSON – Enrique Acevedo is an anchor at Univision. He joins us now. Enrique, you seem like a reasonable person. How did you get involved in the media defense of MS-13? You never thought you’d end up there.
ENRIQUE ACEVEDO UNIVISION ANCHOR : Tucker, I don’t believe any human being is an animal. But I’m not here for criminals. I’m not sure that anyone else is.
CARLSON: Yes, you are.
ACEVEDO: I believe that law and order is what you should be promoting. I don’t believe degrading people to anything less than human is a good way to achieve that goal. You would expect that the president of the United States speaks to our highest ideals, not our worst instincts.
CARLSON: To put this in context, here are some recent headlines about MS-13. Police say that the MS-13 gang stabbed 100 men, decapitated them, and then ripped their hearts out. MS-13 sex trafficked girl beat 28 times with a bat MS-13 member in satanic shrine kidnapped, drugged, and raped 14-year-old Houston girl. I could go on. You get offended when you hear these people called animals. Why? Why should people who do such things need to be defended? What about Trump’s words?
ACEVEDO: I believe we cannot pretend that we can see this in a larger context. This is part of a larger trend, which began long before Donald Trump became president. It involves criminalizing and dehumanizing all immigrant, not just the bad ones. The question was about gang members operating within the US. Trump replied with –
CARLSON: Yes, MS-13.
ACEVEDO (INAUDIBLE), those crossing the border animals.
CARLSON: No. While I don’t claim to be defending all of Trumps views, in this case he was asked about MS-13. He has been discussing this issue for over a year. He said that they were animals. You may not like the expression. It could be imprecise, or something else. It’s so fascinating that you rush to defend MS-13. Is there anyone else you can defend? They are not worthy of being attacked. It is necessary to defend a street gang which worships Satan and beheads people. Do you wake up every morning and wonder how you got here? I’m a decent person. Why am I defending MS-13?”
ACEVEDO – I don’t know what you mean by saying that I defended MS-13. I started the interview by saying that I wasn’t here to defend criminals.
CARLSON: Then, you defend them when they say they were dehumanized.
ACEVEDO – I’m not saying that a human being is an animal.
Also, consider Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act. Latino media joined the left’s flimsy framing of this bill as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Bienvenido/WPA poll revealed that 82% of Univision/Telemundo viewers believed that Florida had a law that prohibited teachers and students from using the word “gay” in all public schools.
77% of respondents believed that the Dobbs ruling had banned abortion in the United States. The featured image shows this. A staggering 66% of respondents believe that Russia stole the 2016 presidential election.
Spanish-language media can also be a threat to democracy, as it can distort public perceptions of the most important issues of the day. Consider that inflation and the cost-of-living are the top concerns of voters in the 2022 midterm elections. It ranks 11th for viewers who rely on Spanish-language news. They would be foolish to think otherwise, considering that Univision, for instance, assured them that the “Inflation Reduction Act” would address inflation.
BORJA VOCES. The Senate will vote on Saturday on the controversial “Inflation Reduction Act”, which is a key package on President Biden’s agenda. After several days of negotiations, Arizona Senator Krysten(sic] Sinema gave her support for the project, which experts believe will help reduce inflation. It would also reduce the fiscal deficit, the price of certain medications, impose taxes on large corporations and allocate millions to combat climate change. If it is approved, it will be sent to the House for approval.
Once the smoke clears from the 2022 midterm elections, you can expect a strong renewal of the “Spanish language disinformation” trope. Now you know that such myths are not true.
Spanish-language disinformation is not spread by conservative radio hosts or social media users. Data shows that disinformation is spread by leftists embedded within corporate Spanish-language newsrooms. This is why Hispanics have lost faith in Spanish-language media.
The market continues to cry for alternatives.
