For Estrella TV’s evening newscast, the horrific shooting in Gilroy, CA is little more than a segue into a fact-free smear of the National Rifle Association.
Watch below as anchor Adriana Yáñez coldly transitions from the lead story on the horrific shooting at Gilroy, California, the aforementioned NRA hit piece:
ADRIANA YAÑEZ: Speaking of massacres, the American(sic) Rifle Association seems to have lost its usual power as of late, which has raised doubts as to the role that they’ll play in the 2020 election. Dayanis López expands on this information. Over to you, Dayanis.
DAYANIS LÓPEZ: Adriana, the NRA hasn’t just been an important ally for candidates that support gun rights. Let us also remember that they were behind Donald Trump’s presidential victory in 2016, becoming the key that took him to the White House.
It is worth noting that none of the major Spanish-language networks have used the Gilroy shooting in order to advance a gun-control agenda (yet). But Estrella, although known for being loose with the facts and over-the-top, manages to plumb new depths here.
The factually-challenged story bears the distinct whiff of fake news and has multiple misstatements and material misrepresentations, the most obvious being the anchor’s butchery of the name of the organization they are about to smear. Among others, the report lays this whopper about the scope of the NRA’s financial involvement in candidate campaigns:
Like the bet they placed on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, donating close to $36 million dollars.
Such a donation, if true, would be wildly illegal. But Estrella doesn’t let pesky things like facts get in the way of a good story.
In fact, Estrella enhanced the report with images such as the Civil War reenactment footage seen in this post’s featured image, and with spooky background music underneath this super-serious “investigative report”. It is as if Estrella can’t trust their own viewers to figure out that they’re expected to think that the NRA is baaad. Hence the spooky music.
There is no doubt that Estrella TV’s viewers may be entertained, but it is unclear whether they come away from the newscast any more informed.
Below is a full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on Estrella TV on Monday, July 29th, 2019 (click to expand):
Estrella TV
July 29, 2019ADRIANA YAÑEZ: Speaking of massacres, the American(sic) Rifle Association seems to have lost its usual power as of late, which has raised doubts as to the role that they’ll play in the 2020 election. Dayanis López expands on this information. Over to you, Dayanis.
DAYANIS LÓPEZ: Adriana, the NRA hasn’t just been an important ally for candidates that support gun rights. Let us also remember that they were behind Donald Trump’s presidential victory in 2016, becoming the key that took him to the White House.
Founded in 1871, the National Rifle Association promotes the Second amendment which grants the right to use guns, besides controlling the debate against gun control in the United States, with greedy endorsements and financing of political campaigns, among these President Donald Trump.
PROFESOR EFRÉ PÉREZ, UCLA: They are a very powerful organization, basically because they have two weapons: in other words, the first is the resources- that they know how to place behind conservative candidates.
LÓPEZ: Like the bet they placed on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, donating close to $36 million dollars.
PÉREZ: And the other is the ability to mobilize not just their membership, but sympathizers (as well), people who might not be members of their organization but are gun owners.
LÓPEZ: But with each shooting, the NRA seems to be affected, losing members and revenues. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, membership dues for this powerful organization fell from $163 million in 2016 to $128 million in 2017. Besides, there is talk of an internal war within this organization. In fact, their chief lobbyist Chris Cox since 2002 and loyal Trump ally Chris Cox resigned, as did their president Oliver North. On the other hand, (sources) close to the White House stated that the Democratic presidential candidates and (gun control) organizations will seize upon this opportunity to bring further pressure upon the gun control debate.
And we tried to get a reaction from the NRA with regard to their plans for the 2020 presidential election, but we have not yet received a response. But some Republicans have stated that the organization will remain an essential ally.
