Media Research Center Latino Director Ken Oliver-Mendez appeared on Fox Business, Wednesday, to discuss Univision ignoring record low unemployment amongst Hispanics. After Cavuto guest host Charles Payne explained that 62 percent of Hispanics feel better off economically now, Oliver-Mendez replied: “That wasn't news on Univision or Telemundo.”
He added that this “really illustrates the disconnect between the average Hispanic voter in the country and perhaps the average Hispanic viewer of Univision and Telemundo and what they're getting.”
The MRC Latino Director concluded: “Because the average Hispanic voter is seeing results, is seeing jobs. It's news for them when hundreds of thousands of Hispanics are getting jobs in the milestone month of June, which hit all-time low of record Hispanic unemployment.”
For more on this blackout of coverage by Univision and Telemundo, go here.
A partial transcript is below:
Cavuto: Coast to Coast
7/11/18
12:29pm ETCHARLES PAYNE: President Trump's approval rating continues to rise among Hispanics. In fact, a new Emerson college survey showing 62 percent of Hispanic voters feel they are better off financially than two years ago. This as Hispanic unemployment hit a new all-time record low. To former Minority Business Development Agency Deputy Director under Trump Chris Garcia and Director of Media Research Center Latino, Ken Oliver Mendez.
...
PAYNE: Ken, having said that, were you shocked at this Emerson poll? It came out of left field. I mean, 62 percent? The average in the country is 42 percent. But 62 percent of Hispanics in this poll said they feel better off now than they did two years ago. .
KEN OLIVER-MENDEZ: Yeah, of course, Charles, that wasn't news on Univision or Telemundo. But the fact is this comes on the heels of the Harvard Harris poll, which had the support among Hispanic voters for President Trump's handling of the economy and stimulating jobs now at 57 percent. So the numbers keep going up and up. The support for the policies very high.
PAYNE: So it's interesting because you mentioned the Hispanic or Latino media there. What about the other side of this, you know the sort of — the narrative from the Democrats and the scenes, you know what happened at the border — does that, do you think ultimately though, people think of that and it tugs people's hearts. And it seems to me at least in the non-Hispanic media that this is what gets played up a lot. We never hear about these extraordinary things that are going on within the Latino community. Ken?
OLIVER-MENDEZ: Well this just goes to illustrate — it really illustrates the disconnect between the average Hispanic voter in the country and perhaps the average Hispanic viewer of Univision or Telemundo and what they're getting. Because the average Hispanic voter is seeing results, is seeing jobs. You know, it's news for them when hundreds of thousands of Hispanics are getting jobs in the milestone month of June, which hit all-time low of record Hispanic unemployment.
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PAYNE: I do want to ask you, Ken, where do we go from here? And whose responsibility is it? Because I do believe there is something, if you look at the election in the Bronx of this young lady Ocasio-Cortez, there is some resentment in these communities against the establishment, and it feels like the Bernie Sanders side is the beneficiary of it so far.
OLIVER-MENDEZ: Well, Charles, that's really a marginal element of the population as a whole in the country. When you look at, for example, battleground state like Florida. In this midterm, you have Governor Rick Scott tied among Hispanics in Florida - about to unseat the incumbent Democrat senator of Florida. And so that's a real battleground and that's where Hispanic votes count in high proportions. So you are really seeing the challenge for Republicans is connecting the support for the policies with support for the candidates.
