In yet another telltale sign that they just can’t take any more Trump era “winning” on the economy, the principal national evening news programs of Univision, Telemundo and CNN en Español all neglected to inform their viewers that Hispanic-American unemployment hit its third record low achieved under the Trump administration, falling to 4.4% in December, 2018.
The stone cold silence about the milestone is similar to what happened when the same networks refused to report the first time that Latino unemployment reached a then 45-year, historic record low of 4.6% under the Trump administration, back in July of 2018.
In the case of Spanish-language sector leaders Univision and Telemundo, both networks’ January 4 national evening newscasts limited themselves to reporting on the overall employment numbers, but pointedly left out the data for Hispanics, the very segment of the population that both are supposedly focused on.
CNN en Español, on the other hand, featured a screenshot with the 4.4% Hispanic unemployment number for December, but anchor Ione Molinares botched the report, saying the rate “rose” and neglected to note it in fact fell to another record low.
IONE MOLINARES, ANCHOR, DIRECTO USA, CNN EN ESPAÑOL: Among Hispanics, the rate also rose. It also improved and the increase is good news. Not only were there 312-thousand new jobs created, there are also more people entering the labor market.
The good news for the tens of thousands of Hispanic-Americans throughout the country who left the ranks of the unemployed and the 177,000 more Latinos on the job compared to the month of November, was very obviously, and deliberately, kept under wraps.
The omission was also similar to the silence at Univision and Telemundo in the days leading up to the 2018 mid-term election, when both also neglected to report on Hispanic unemployment hitting its current, 4.4% record-low level.
After MRC Latino pointed out the first glaring omission of record-setting low Hispanic unemployment back in July of 2018, both Univision’s and CNN en Español’s principal evening newscasts subsequently went on to change their tune. In August of 2018, both networks (but not Telemundo) featured full reports when the Department of Labor reports came out on August 5, showing another new low in Hispanic unemployment, when it dipped to 4.5%.
All three networks also did a noticeably better job last October, reporting on the booming economy, though Univision was quick at the time to feature in its report four successive sourpuss quotes from noted Trump critic Carlos Saladrigas.
However, despite knowing that pocketbook (“It’s the economy, stupid”) issues are top of mind for most people, Univision and Telemundo in particular have typically given short shrift to all manner of good economic news over the past year.
Below are the complete transcripts of the above-referenced reports as broadcast during the January 4, 2019 editions of CNN en Español’s Directo USA, Noticiero Univision and Noticias Telemundo.
Directo USA, CNN en Español
IONE MOLINARES, ANCHOR, DIRECTO USA, CNN EN ESPAÑOL: Well, after the ups and downs of the last few days in the stock market, investors today breathed calmer as a result of the numbers on unemployment that the government published today. The numbers yes, also the stock market, soared on Wall Street this Friday. The unemployment rate for December rose to 3.9% after remaining at 3.7% for three months, which on that occasion was the lowest point recorded in 50 years. Among Hispanics the rate also went up, it also improved and the increase is good news. Not only were 312 thousand new jobs created, but there are also more people entering the labor market, something that the President highlighted today. In total, in 2018 two million 600 thousand new jobs were created. In 2017, two million two hundred thousand new jobs were created.
Noticiero Univisión
ADRIANA VÁZQUEZ-SINO, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: The Department of Labor reported today that 312,000 jobs were created in December. A number above the expectations of analysts. 2018 closed with 2.74 million jobs created, a figure that had not been seen since 2015. However, the unemployment rate rose from 3.7% in November to 3.9% in December. According to experts, this increase is due, in large part, to the fact that more people entered the labor force in search of employment.
Noticias Telemundo
JULIO VAQUEIRO, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: The labor market continues to give good news. According to official data, the country's economy closed 2018 with the creation of 312-thousand jobs in December, a much higher figure than that anticipated by the experts. The sectors that have hired the most personnel are health, construction, food services and manufacturing. Average hourly wages have also improved, rising by more than 3% over the previous year.
