Unprecedented times bear unprecedented conflict, and the fog of conflict is often rife with rumor, speculation, and fake news. Such is the case in the denouement of Trump v. Univision, and it is important to unpack this story and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Per Latin Times:
Jorge Ramos might be on his way out of Univision if the latest rumors confirm to be true. According to Rafael Martinez of "Formula Espectacular," the news anchor might be exiting after Donald Trump takes office. As you may remember, the Mexican journalist had a strong altercation with the now President-elect while he was running for office. It is said that Enrique Acevedo, who currently hosts the late-night edition of the Univision newscast. It was not clear if Ramos was leaving the network entirely or only leaving the newscast.
I wouldn't have touched this rumor with a ten-foot pole, but legit serious people keep asking me about Jorge Ramos getting fired from Univision. So here's my take.
This rumor - devoid of any sourcing or basis in fact and a case study in "fake news" - appears to have been cobbled together from news of the meeting between the President-elect and Univision executives at Trump Tower and from this single sentence within Adrián Carrasquillo's recent "Nightmare" piece:
With the recognition that access to the administration will be difficult to come by Univision is discussing strengthening its coverage by bringing Enrique Acevedo to host his nightly newscast from Washington during Trump’s first 100 days.
To wit, the network's post-Trump Tower statement was crafted as a face-saving measure after having gambled big and lost big. A subsequent termination of Ramos - still very much the undisputed public face of the network's news division - would be widely regarded as a major capitulation to Donald Trump, and as a catastrophic loss of face. It does not seem likely that the network would turn around and fire Ramos after puffing its chest and loudly signalling that it won't change a thing.
This isn't to say that Ramos couldn't decide to walk at some point in time, but it will be on his own terms after 30-plus years behind the anchor desk. He's built up a vast social media audience, and could very easily do his own thing.
Conversely, Univision anchor Enrique Acevedo going to D.C. shouldn't be interpreted as anything other than Acevedo going to D.C.. Some of that speculation seems to arise from the fact that Univision would send Acevedo to D.C. to cover Trump's first 100 days and not Ramos.
First of all, Acevedo's situation is unique in that he hosts his own newscast (at 11:30PM ET), so by no means is this a substitution scenario. Second, Ramos is anchored in Miami - doing the 6:30 newscast at least 3 or 4 times a week, plus Al Punto, his Fusion stuff, the occasional special report or documentary, plus segments on Brian Stelter, Anderson Cooper, Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity. How would D.C. fit into all of that?
Now picture Univision as a sports team that needs to overhaul after failing to advance in the playoffs despite significant investments of resources. Who tends to go first? Is it the star player or is it the coach? If anyone should be on the hook after the network's dismal performance and lagging ratings, it is Isaac Lee and (President of News) Daniel Coronell. Any "housecleaning" is incomplete so long as either of those two are allowed to remain in any sort of decision-making capacity.
But here, again, is where the FCC foreign-ownership rule change comes into play. The rule change enabled Televisa owner Emilio Azcárraga to control a significant stake in the network. Isaac Lee is an Azcárraga Guy (going back to 2000 per some accounts), and Daniel Coronell is Lee's hire. In short, Univision is rolling along, with no one likely to be held accountable.
Although these rumors appear to be little more than fake news, Univision's struggles are very real - and it will be very interesting to see how the network attempts to get out of this self-inflicted bind going forward. We remain watchful, and will continue to keep you posted of any shifts as they occur.
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