Veteran Univision anchor Jorge Ramos recently blasted his network over an interview with former President Trump this month he dubbed too “friendly” via The Hill.
Ramos wrote in a column that the interview “put in doubt the independence of our news department,” and remarked that journalists have an obligation to ask hard questions to powerful figures when given the opportunity.
“We cannot normalize behavior that threatens democracy and the Hispanic community, or offer Trump an open microphone to broadcast his falsehoods and conspiracy theories,” Ramos said. “We must question and fact-check everything he says and does.”
Trump’s Univision interview featured little pushback on his history of anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic policy and rhetoric, from the opening of his presidential campaign calling Mexicans “rapists” to recent reports that a second Trump term would include unprecedented mass deportations.
It has been noted that the interview comes a year after Univision, an American Spanish-language network, merged with Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa, which holds close ties to the Mexican government and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, The Washington Post reported.
It shocked the news landscape and generated mass criticism, as the network previously covered Trump critically.
“We cannot surrender our responsibility to ask hard and precise questions,” Ramos said. “That’s what journalism is for. These journalistic principles apply to everyone.”
Trump lashed out against Ramos on the 2016 campaign trail, demanding he be removed after asking critical questions during an Iowa campaign stop. His campaign later smeared Univision as “leftist propaganda.”
