Univision CEO Defends Trump Interview After Backlash, Says Network Is ‘Not a Tool of Any Party’
Univision CEO Wade Davis defended the network’s Nov. 9 interview with former President Donald Trump in a memo to staff on Tuesday, maintaining that they are “not a tool of any party or organization,” despite backlash.
“Univision will continue to maintain this clear vision by giving Democrats, Republicans and independents an equal voice in the coming months, and my hope is that we will be judged based on the entirety of our coverage of the 2024 election,” Davis wrote, per media reports.
Critics of the interview said it was overly favorable to the legally embattled former president and 2024 Republican frontrunner. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, for one, responded Monday, asking for a meeting with Davis and saying they’re “concerned” about Univision’s mission.
In the interview, Trump threatened to use the Department of Justice and the FBI to target his enemies. Variety first reported news of the memo from Davis on Tuesday.
“We made a decision to adopt a strategy that is different than what some other major networks are using, which has been labeled as partisan,” Davis wrote.
He added: “We serve our audience by being welcoming of competing issues, ideas, candidates, and parties. we are here to serve our audience, not any political party, any one candidate or partisan groups.”
The statement by Davis comes after the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Monday said it was requesting a meeting with the CEO to express concerns about the interview and allowing Trump’s “spread of mis- and disinformation” in Latino communities.
In the caucus’ letter, members said they were getting involved in the issue as “a responsibility to our constituents, and to the Latino community we represent in Congress, to fight for their rights and freedoms, and to ensure they are getting factual information to make important decisions and inform their participation in public and civic duties.”
They argued that Univison failed to uphold its standards of “fair and accurate reporting” by giving Trump the appearance on the network.
“Recent reported actions surrounding the interview of former President Donald Trump leave us concerned about Univision’s continued commitment to its mission and its audience,” according to the caucus’ letter, obtained by TheWrap.
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