The nation’s cruise ship industry is set for its post-COVID comeback with test cruises about to sail from the Port of Miami, so that meant Univision used the great news to claim there was a “controversy” afoot, spreading disinformation and whining -- AGAIN -- about Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R).
Watch as Univision reporter Andrea León who, in addition to withholding crucial information from their audience and excluding any opposing viewpoints, deceived viewers by leading them to believe that DeSantis is a COVID-19 anti-vaxxer, and blatantly misrepresented DeSantis’s opposition to compulsory vaccine PASSPORTS:
The cruise industry has been greenlit to conduct test cruises and subsequently return to operation along U.S. waters, after COVID’s harsh impact against that sector. However, the companies are between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are asking them to comply with a set of requirements. And on the other hand, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is opposed to some of these. He says that his intention is to restart tourism in order to help industry workers, and he rejects that, on test cruises, crews should be 100% vaccinated along with 75% of passengers. And, as is the case with airlines, that both passengers and crew must wear masks.
The rejection of a vaccine passport, with its dangerous potential for abuses of government power, is vastly different from the straw man that Univision builds for their viewers.
Moreover, the network suppressed a key piece of information from viewers, namely, that Royal Caribbean will no longer require its passengers to be vaccinated.
As per The Miami Herald:
In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements and vaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.
“Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible,” the company said in a statement. “Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.”
If Univision was to be believed, the evil anti-vaxxer Ron DeSantis has prevented Royal Caribbean from...not requiring vaccination passports and implementing protocols for those who can’t prove they are vaccinated? DeSantis's “controversial” actions -- like keeping Florida open as the rest of the nation locked down, banning Critical Race Theory from Florida’s schools and signing election reforms into law -- are just too much to handle for the Hispanic media public relations arm of the White House.
As this garbage report from Univision showed, DeSantis Derangement Syndrome has reached pandemic levels within our activist media- and there appears to be no cure.
Exit question: Will Democratic members of Congress Darren Soto (FL) and Rubén Gallego (AZ) threaten to investigate this obvious example of disinformation emanating from a Miami-based broadcaster and interfere with their FCC licensing? Or does that only cut one way?
UPDATE: Governor DeSantis' office responds:
The segment on Univision blatantly lied about Governor DeSantis’ position on vaccine passports and the cruise industry. The Governor does not reject the idea that anyone should be vaccinated; his position is that choosing to get a COVID-19 vaccine is a personal decision and must not be mandated – by the government or by corporations. Therefore, he opposes the CDC’s efforts to coerce cruise lines to break Florida law by requiring proof of vaccination from passengers.
COVID-19 vaccines are freely available in Florida at more than 2,000 convenient sites throughout our state. The Florida Department of Health and Division of Emergency Management, as well as the Governor, have worked hard to ensure that every Floridian who desires a COVID-19 vaccine can get one. However, some Floridians may be unable to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination due to health, religious, or other personal reasons. Floridians have the right to medical privacy. Individual vaccination records are private health information, which should not be shared by mandate or used as a basis for discrimination. Governor DeSantis signed the law banning vaccine passports to protect Floridians’ rights and freedoms.
Governor DeSantis has stated many times that private businesses requiring “vaccine passports” from customers would create two unequal classes of citizens based on vaccination status. This would be discriminatory, unethical, and harmful for society. The Governor trusts Floridians to make the best choices for themselves and their families. The government’s role is to provide information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and to help ensure Floridians can get the vaccines if they so choose, which is exactly what the DeSantis Administration has done. If some people choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine, that is their right, and they should not be barred from participating in everyday life. It appears that Univision intentionally distorted the Governor’s position and public statements on this issue.
Moreover, Univision framed the lawsuit in a misleading manner, as though it’s a conflict between Governor DeSantis and the cruise industry. In fact, it’s the opposite. Governor DeSantis has been a champion of the cruise industry and has led the charge to get cruise ships sailing again. The State of Florida sued the CDC in April, contending that the agency has overstepped its authority by imposing burdensome requirements on the industry that lack any scientific basis. The CEO of Port Canaveral, Captain John Murray, said in court last week, “I’m not so sure the CDC would be working as quickly as they are right now to get the industry back online” if not for the state of Florida’s lawsuit against the CDC. Governor DeSantis’ goal is to ensure the cruise lines can set sail as soon as possible, without discriminatory regulations and in compliance with Florida law.
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Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired:
Noticiero Univisión Edición Nocturna
June 14, 2021
11:40 p.m. EasternPAULINA SODI, UNIVISION: The resumption of cruise operations continues to be delayed due to political disputes in Florida. The controversy is due to the requirement that (individuals) be vaccinated against coronavirus prior to navigating along state waters, particularly in Miami, which is considered to be the cruise capital of the world. Governor Ron DeSantis does not accept the vaccination requirement, but cruise companies consider it to be fundamental. Andrea Leon has more surrounding this controversy.
ANDREA LEON, UNIVISION: The cruise industry has been greenlit to conduct test cruises and subsequently return to operation along U.S. waters, after COVID’s harsh impact against that sector. However, the companies are between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are asking them to comply with a set of requirements. And on the other hand, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is opposed to some of these.
He says that his intention is to restart tourism in order to help industry workers, and he rejects that, on test cruises, crews should be 100% vaccinated along with 75% of passengers. And, as is the case with airlines, that both passengers and crew must wear masks.
DHS SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAJORKAS: This is a federal mandate…
LEON: This is a federal mandate and is based on an order issued by the CDC, says the Secretary of Homeland Security. Royal Caribbean will carry out its first test cruise at the end of June, (sailing) from the Port of Miami. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and show that they are free of any ailment that may increase the odds of becoming infected with COVID-19.
But as governors like DeSantis and Greg Abbott of Texas have signed laws barring businesses from requiring that individuals provide proof of vaccination, others believe that this is the only way to prevent a new outbreak.
We’d have to shut down our entire economy, says the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. And he adds that having passengers that were not required to show proof of vaccination is dramatic when you are talking about islands so small that, in some cases, they only have one hospital.
Cruise lines must establish agreements with ports from which they plan to operate, in addition to implementing routine testing of their crews and developing plans to incorporate vaccination strategies- all this, in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
