Univision anchor Jorge Ramos is, among many other things, a man who is fond of reading his own press, which is also evident in his ongoing efforts to defend himself against legitimate criticism from conservatives. But Ramos’ strawman arguments seek to deflect, rather than address, critics who believe his newscasts are terribly biased...and poorly does so.
We saw the latest iteration of this line of defense during Sunday’s Al Punto, when Ramos told a bipartisan young politico panel that “…as a journalist I’ve been accused, and many other Hispanic media (outlets), that we talk a lot about immigration. Only about immigration.” This frequent lamentation is not based on any semblance of fact, but is rather intended to distract from the real issues which remain at the heart of his and Univision’s particular biases.
It is one thing, per Ramos’ claim, to speak either frequently or exclusively about immigration, and it might not even be a bad idea to appeal to the base, so to speak, given the network’s recent losses. But, of course, this is not what Ramos has actually done. Most recently, he went on Boston public radio and, to wit:
- Mocked conservatives’ constitutional concerns over Obama executive actions on immigration, and dismissed them as racist
- Bragged about “winning the argument” and getting President Obama to enact executive actions after saying he lacked the authority to do so
- Attacked the potential 2016 GOP presidential field as being insufficiently pro-amnesty
- Dared anyone disagreeing with his coverage to go on the air and prove him wrong (“they know how to reach me”)
- Repeated the “anti-immigrant” tropes that have been a staple of Hispanic media for decades
Most egregiously, Ramos had the audacity to complain that conservatives want to SILENCE him as a result of his biased coverage. Such a statement can only be attributed to the sort of hubris that results from privilege and attention, given his provenance from a place where journalists are literally silenced.
No journalist that encourages activism, abandons neutrality, and routinely spits out partisan talking points should expect to go unchallenged - not even the so-called Next Cronkite. That Ramos should chafe at this slightest bit of pushback suggests that the afflictor has indeed grown quite comfortable, and is now the power that needs to hear truth.
Exit tweet: As if we needed further proof that Jorge Ramos is one with the mainstream media hive mind:
