Veteran journalist and presenter Jorge Ramos criticized Univision's weak interview with Donald Trump, while calling for good journalism, especially in the face of a hostile environment ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
“I think that Trump must be questioned and confronted; for democracy, for the rights of immigrants and, simply, to do good journalism,” Ramos wrote in a column titled “The danger of not confronting Trump,” which he published on his web site.
Ramos was blunt in his criticism of the interview that was broadcast by Univision on November 9, which, he said, called into question the independence of the news department, creating unrest and confusion within the newsroom.
He recalled that on August 25, 2015, the then presidential candidate expelled him with a bodyguard from a press conference in Dubuque, Iowa, after he tried to ask him several questions.
“'Go to Univision,' he told me. I had gone to Iowa to question him about his statements in which he called Mexican immigrants 'rapists,' criminals and drug traffickers,” Ramos explained.
However, he said, few people know that the former president allowed him to return to the press conference and ask him several questions for more than 10 minutes. During that time, he was confronted about his intentions to build a wall on the border with Mexico and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, among other things.
“Our job as journalists is to question those in power. That's what reporters are for. That's what I did in Iowa and what I've done with Trump since he announced his first presidential bid,” Ramos said.
The journalist recounted Trump's failures after the 2021 elections, which he lost, denying the results that gave victory to Joseph Biden. The former president faces 91 charges against him for various alleged crimes, including conspiring against the democratic system.
"We cannot normalize behavior that threatens democracy and the Hispanic community, nor offer Trump an open microphone to spread falsehoods and conspiracy theories. Everything he does and says must be questioned and fact-checked," the journalist stressed.
“That is why it is very dangerous not to confront Trump. And that is why it is our moral obligation to confront him every time there is a journalistic opportunity to do so. But I understand that not everyone thinks the same,” he said.
In this regard, he said he is convinced that journalists have two major responsibilities: to report reality as it is, not as we would like it to be; and to question and demand accountability from those in power.
While it is important to give a voice to all candidates, regardless of the political party to which they belong, it is essential to question.
“We cannot abdicate our responsibility to ask tough and accurate questions. That is what journalism is for. And these journalistic principles apply to everyone,” he said.
It should be noted that his direct confrontations have not only been towards Trump, as he has pointed out that at the time he has done so with the current president, Joseph Biden, and former president Barack Obama.
“Democracy is something that must be defended every day. And for journalists, the way to do it is by asking questions. Even if it hurts. Even if it makes you uncomfortable. Silence almost never leads to good journalism,” he explained.
Without clarifying his current situation with the Spanish-language television station, Ramos said that for 39 years he has reported “with absolute independence and freedom” on Univision, for which he will always be grateful.
“This is what I believe in and this is what I will continue to do as a free journalist, wherever I am,” he concluded in his text written on November 25.
Univision presenter María Celeste Arrarás also said that Acevedo's questions lacked "extent."
“No matter which President or candidate is involved, or which political party is involved, journalists have to ask the tough questions and not smile after every answer from the interviewee. And certainly, a television network and its news department have to be objective, balanced and incisive. That was not the case with Univision and the exclusive interview it did a few days ago with Donald Trump,” he wrote on his Instagram account.
“The interview lacked bite, not to say that it felt more like a public relations campaign. Trump made several false claims that were never questioned, despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence to prove it. The job of the journalist is to investigate, to ask the difficult questions, the ones they DON’T want to answer. It doesn’t matter if it’s Trump, Biden or whoever,” he continued.
He noted that the Washington Post newspaper had made a serious complaint against the Univision network for, among other things, having brought three senior Televisa executives to the interview who are close friends of Trump and his son-in-law.
“I can’t imagine the stress that this added to the interviewer Enrique Acevedo, whom I know and appreciate. His bosses, good friends of the interviewee, listened to every word. That’s why there is concern in the media and among the network’s journalists about the influence of these executives on the way the electoral process is covered in the US,” he wrote.
In the past, he said, Televisa has not been biased when it comes to Mexican politics and has been able to censor its journalists. “That is why it is worrying that, inexplicably, the network cancelled the usual response to Trump’s interview by the Democratic Party – even though it was already scheduled.”
He also added that he canceled the Biden campaign ads that were scheduled to run during commercial breaks. “Let us remember that balanced news and hearing both sides of the same argument is healthy for the electorate to make informed decisions. We are not in Cuba or Venezuela where the press is threatened when it speaks out against any anti-democratic tendency.”
You may be interested in: Generating security and trust, a challenge for the 2024 elections in the US.
