You might not have heard of it but among the thousands of costumes and masks available this Halloween there is the “illegal alien mask.” The mask depicts a somewhat exaggerated face of a Hispanic looking man with green eyes, a thick mustache and a blue cap. I am sure that I would have never heard of this silly news, unworthy of national attention had it not been for Noticiero Univision. We may deduce that it must have been a slow news day for a prominent nationwide news outlet to select the illegal immigrant mask “controversy” as newsworthy. But for Univision, it seems that any and all news portraying illegal immigrants as victims of American racism and unjust laws constitutes the daily news cycle.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that it has become a mission for the Spanish networks such as Univision and Telemundo to criticize the U.S. government and the American people through their biased reporting until and unless the millions of illegal immigrants living here are legalized and put on a path to citizenship. This would not be relevant were it not for the fact that Univision is now the fifth largest TV network in the country and a major, for many the only, source of news in the US as it reaches 98 percent of Spanish speaking households.
The main promoter of the advocacy through journalism movement is Jorge Ramos, the anchorman of Noticiero Univision, a blue eyed Mexican who has become a celebrity in the Latino community across the nation and is the face of the illegal immigration cause at Univision. For Ramos and company, the correct way of addressing those who crossed the border unlawfully is “undocumented immigrants” instead of “illegal immigrants” as those who use the word “illegal” are according to him “critics of Hispanic immigrants [and the term] implies criminality.” Last time I checked, crossing the border without permission was a crime.
Ramos also has a weekly syndicated column that is read by thousands around the country. In them he constantly unleashes his not so objective opinions against those who oppose illegal immigration reform and continually lashes out against racist republicans. In his latest column on immigration he criticizes president Obama for turning his back against Latinos and for not passing an immigration reform this year as he had promised when running for president. Here is a taste of Mr. Ramos’ journalistic objectivity:
“The real losers in the debate about health care reform are undocumented
immigrants. Most don’t have medical insurance, nor will they be able to get it. President Barack Obama’s plan specifically excludes them from his proposal, and again Republicans have made them the scapegoats for all the country’s ills.”Undoubtedly there is a bias in English networks, but I would be surprised to read something similar written by an American anchor without causing some public stir.
Not only does Univision report on what they perceive as daily trespasses of federal, state and local officials abusing the rights of immigrants, but they conveniently forget to present the other side of the issue. After so many years promoting a pro-immigration agenda, the network has never bothered to have in any of its programs one of the most prominent experts on immigration, the Harvard Economist, George Borjas, a Cuban immigrant with 25 years of research on the issue; could it be because professor’s Borjas research and that of other experts contradict much of Univision’s propaganda on immigration?. While Univision repudiates border fences that prevent people from crossing freely, it never informs the public of the root causes that force people to flee extreme poverty in their home countries and take the perilous journey to the north.
The first rule of journalism is: Don’t be Biased. The news is supposed to be about reporting the facts and letting the reader/viewer/ consumer make up their mind. To support one side of an issue over another becomes an opinion. At Univision, presenting both sides of the story is an anathema which has converted the network into a propaganda machine that aims to have a shocking effect on Hispanics in order to influence the debate and outcome of illegal immigration. By supporting this issue and promoting it so vehemently, Univision has not only become an advocate for a cause but also a mere business enterprise only interested in securing future customers and hence profits. Not only is this pandering irresponsible but also offensive to people’s intelligence.
Who wrote this articule: Luis R. Guevara holds a M.A. in International Affairs from American University and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maryland at College Park. He was born in El Salvador and raised in Washington, DC.
Anytime: gurgueiros@gmail.com
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