The nation’s leading Spanish-language network newscasts offered differing versions of the latest jobs report: one positive, the other negative. One network covers the jobs report fairly and objectively. The other, blinded by its anti-Trump animus, tells only half the story and finds a way to spin the report negatively.
Take a look at how Univision and Telemundo, respectively, covered the Labor Department’s report that set another historic low in the unemployment rate:
ILIA CALDERÓN: According to data from the Labor Department, the U.S. economy created 136.000 new jobs in September, a figure that reduced the unemployment rate to a new low of 3.5 percent, the lowest in 50 years. Even so, there is economic uncertainty due to the trade war between the U.S. and China.
(....)
JOSÉ DÍAZ-BALART: The unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in the past 50 years. It was lowered to 3.5% in September, and dropped to 3.9% among Latinos. 136,000 total jobs were added this last month. In spite of the numbers being somewhat below expectations, there are now 108 consecutive months of job growth. It is the longest-ever streak in the employment market. And an encouraging bit of data in the midst of concerns over a potential recession: most of the jobs added were in healthcare, professional services, and business.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer. Univision could barely be bothered to note the record low in the unemployment rate, and closed out its 20-second blip of a report by stoking recession fears among the Hispanic community.
Additionally, Univision completely omitted any mention of the historically low Hispanic unemployment rate of 3.9%. In fact, not only did Hispanic unemployment drop, but did so as Hispanic participation in the job market increased to 67 percent! None of this was found to be relevant to Univision’s viewers, who are seemingly expected to react only to immigration grievance-mongering as opposed to their improving economic fortunes.
Telemundo’s report, on the other hand, was far more even-handed. Although failing to note that it is a record low, Telemundo *did* report the low Hispanic unemployment rate. Furthermore, anchor José Díaz-Balart allayed any recession concerns by highlighting those areas where employment increased.
Telemundo is far from perfect, as we’ve recently noted. But at least as far as the jobs report is concerned, there appears to remain some interest in reporting actual news and letting viewers decide- which is more than can be said for Univision.
