The CEO of TelevisionUnivision defended the network’s recent interview with Donald Trump, amid criticism from Democratic lawmakers and others that the influential Hispanic media outlet was offering a softball platform to the former president.
Wade Davis wrote in a memo to the US. officials today that “interviewing the current Republican leader, according to the polls, the sitting president and any other candidates is our responsibility if we want to present the full picture of ideas. The interview with former President Trump was the first in 22 years by a current or former Republican president. There have been many interviews with a current or former Democratic president over the same period. Additionally, we offer, and welcome, an interview with President Biden on reciprocal terms and believe our viewers would greatly appreciate hearing from the President.”
Trump’s interview itself was considered non-confrontational, with the Publish noting cases in which Trump was not challenged on certain important facts. The interview, conducted by Enrique Acevedo, also contrasted with Univision’s reporting on Trump under previous ownership. Perhaps most famously, the Trump campaign expelled Jorge Ramos, perhaps the network’s most recognizable personality, from a press conference in 2015. Ramos pressed Trump on his rhetoric regarding immigrants.
Amid reports of employee criticism of the interview, anchor León Krauze stepped down last week. According to Semafor, corporate executives from TelevisaUnivision were present at the interview in Mar-a-Lago, and the The Washington Post reported that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was involved in organizing the case. Actor John Leguizamo called for a boycott of the network, citing its decision to cancel Joe Biden campaign ads that would have run during Trump’s interview. More than 80 groups, including MALDEF and America’s Voice — signed a letter to Univision objecting to the interview and expressing concerns about the network’s direction. The Post also reported that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus was preparing a letter requesting a meeting with the network.
In his memo, Davis wrote that Univision “made the decision to adopt a different strategy than some other major networks are using, which has been labeled as partisan. Univision’s news strategy is nonpartisan and objective, and we serve our audience by embracing competing issues, ideas, candidates and parties. We are here to serve our public, not any political party, any candidate or partisan group.”
He added: “Univision is an independent news organization and we will not be deterred by partisan interests and agenda advocacy. Our responsibility is to our audience; we are strongly committed to this and will stay the course.”
The full memo is below:
Team,
Let me start by saying THANK YOU to all of you!
I hope you are all getting ready to enjoy some quality time with your family as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US. For those of you in our newsroom, we know very well that you never stop. There has been an ongoing cycle of press coverage surrounding our interview with former President Trump, which has caused more questions and discussions among our employees. As a result, I think it’s useful to further expand the evolution of our news strategy.
Recent developments reflect a clear recognition of the importance of Hispanics as the biggest swing vote in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. This is driven by the fact that the Hispanic population is large and the fastest growing demographic group. There is now a well-documented consensus among political analysts in both parties that the Hispanic vote could determine the outcome of the presidential election.
Engagement with the entire Hispanic community in all spheres is the foundation of TelevisaUnivision’s mission. We are here to inform and empower the Spanish-speaking public. We deeply understand our community and know that Hispanics are diverse, dynamic and certainly not uniform in their political views.
We made the decision to adopt a different strategy than some other major networks are using, which has been labeled as partisan. Univision’s news strategy is nonpartisan and objective, and we serve our audience by embracing competing issues, ideas, candidates and parties. We are here to serve our public, not any political party, any candidate or partisan group. In the realm of politics, where opinions can be passionate and divergent, providing a space for diverse voices reflects a dedication to the values that underpin civic life in a democracy. It is a recognition that the strength of a democracy depends on its ability to navigate differences through dialogue and, ultimately, to make informed choices that shape the future.
To that end, interviewing the current Republican leader, according to the polls, the incumbent president and any other candidates is our responsibility if we want to present the full picture of ideas. The interview with former President Trump was the first in 22 years by a current or former Republican president. There have been many interviews with a current or former Democratic president over the same period. Additionally, we offer, and welcome, an interview with President Biden on reciprocal terms and believe our viewers would greatly appreciate hearing from the President.
Univision will continue to maintain this clear vision, giving Democrats, Republicans and independents an equal voice in the coming months, and my hope is that we will be judged based on the totality of our 2024 election coverage.
At the same time, we must understand that Univision will attract additional attention and scrutiny, especially among partisan groups, because of its unparalleled reach among Hispanics. We take responsibility for providing our audience with information to make decisions based on accurate coverage of the electoral process. We will reject all efforts to destabilize this vision, including by supporters in the press or the political machine. Univision is not a tool for any party or organization. Univision is an independent news organization and we will not be deterred by partisan interests and agenda advocacy. Our responsibility is to our audience; we are strongly committed to this and will stay the course.
Large companies have vision alignment from shareholders to employees. From the top, we are aligned with Univision News President Daniel Coronell and the rest of the news organization to execute this strategy. It will take the focus and attention of all TelevisaUnivision constituents to ensure this vision is properly executed. I hope and trust that you share this important mission and vision for our Company.
Wade
