So far, Univision’s national evening newscast coverage of the GOP platform has solely focused on the border wall plank, but has completely missed another development of importance to many of their viewers: the inclusion of strong language endorsing Puerto Rican statehood in the Republican platform.
The principal Univision national newscast’s coverage of the platform was “all-wall” and limited to the following few words.
JANET RODRÍGUEZ, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: Members of the Platform Committee voted yesterday in favor of said wall, and that its construction becomes part of the doctrines of the party, which would be ratified in the convention next week.
In failing to report on the Puerto Rico plank in the GOP platform, Univision ignored an issue of importance to over 7 million Hispanic U.S. citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including both those who live on the island the throughout the rest of the United States, who comprise the second largest Hispanic-origin population in the country.
Puerto Rico is the most Hispanic jurisdiction under the American flag, and the Republican Party’s pro-statehood plank for the island flies in the face of the network’s preferred narrative, that the Republican Party is “racist” and “anti-Hispanic.”
Instead, in their coverage of the GOP platform, Univision and Telemundo jumped to advance the Democrats’ preferred line of attack: that the border wall advocated by the Republicans would allegedly prevent their candidates from getting Hispanic votes.
MARIA CELESTE ARRARAS, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: Good afternoon, the Republican Party has decided to include in its plan of governance the construction of the border wall proposed by Donald Trump. That decision could erect an indestructible wall between the party and Hispanic voters.
While Telemundo did mention that Puerto Rico statehood had been included in the GOP platform, the reference was not included until the end of the report. Telemundo devoted 25 seconds to talking about the Puerto Rico platform plank, compared with 2 minutes and 29 seconds on the border wall.
With more than 3 million American citizens from Puerto Rico registered to vote living on the U.S. mainland – and over a million of that total in the key battleground state of Florida - a pro-statehood stance arguably enshrines perhaps more than anything else the efforts of the GOP to be inclusive of the territory in the American Union.
Below are the relevant transcripts of the referenced reports during the July 13 editions of Noticiero Univision and Noticiero Telemundo:
UNIVISION
NOTICIERO UNIVISION
7/13/16
6:31:04 PM - 6:33:48 PM EST | 2 MIN 43 SEC
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: Good evening, we begin with a very rare incident in American history, a judge of the Supreme Court sharply criticized the presidential candidate Donald Trump. Ruth Bader Ginsberg Judge Trump branded him as phony and incompetent. That, of course, Donald Trump didn’t like, who countered that Ginsburg is sick in the head and demanded her resignation. All this happens a few days before the Republican National Convention where the idea of a wall along the border with Mexico is gaining momentum. Our correspondent at the White House Janet Rodríguez has more.
DONALD TRUMP, VIRTUAL REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: [In English] …we’re gonna build a wall, believe me...
DONALD TRUMP, VIRTUAL REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: [In English] …we’re gonna build a wall...
DONALD TRUMP, VIRTUAL REPUBLICAN NOMINEE: [In English] ...build the wall...
JANET RODRIGUEZ, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: Trump’s rhetoric calling for building a border wall seems to start to gain strength with the base of the Republican Party. Platform committee members yesterday voted in favor of the wall and its construction is part of the doctrines of the party, which would be ratified at the convention next week.
CARLOS MERCADER, REPUBLICAN ANALYST: The party in a process said, well, this is our reality today, and we have to work with it, we're going to adopt those ideas that were endorsed by the electorate. Let’s adopt them in the platform.
JANET RODRIGUEZ, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: Although in 2012 the Republican Party platform favored the completion of a double border fence, for some, Tuesday's vote goes further, giving a signal that the party seems to seek unity in Donald Trump’s controversial message.
CARLOS MERCADER, REPUBLICAN ANALYST: Yes, it uses use the words Donald Trump has used, but really, it left it ambiguous enough not to be so different from what we already had before, the principle of reinforcing the border.
JANET RODRIGUEZ, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: And while Trump seems to find support for the party platform, to his critics Judge of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg was added, who now Trump calls for her resignation. Through a twit he [Trump] said, "Justice Ginsburg of the Supreme Court has embarrassed everyone by making very silly political comments about me. She’s lost her mind, step down!” Ginsburg said she could not contemplate the effects that Donald Trump presidency could have on the Supreme Court, referring to Trump as a “phony, incoherent that says the first thing that comes to mind and has a lot of ego."
FILIBERTO AGUSTA, LAWYER: The position is that judges do not take political positions but there is no law or regulation that says a judge cannot take political positions.
JANET RODRIGUEZ, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: The judge has received criticism from both parties, and could be forced to recuse if Trump were to win the White House.
JANET RODRIGUEZ, CORRESPONDENT, UNIVISION: Trump today met with potential candidates for the vice president, including Indiana Governor Mike Pence, and New Jersey, Chris Christie, and also Senator Jeff Sessions, whose stance on immigration is very similar the tycoon’s. He will have to make public his decision no later than Friday.
TELEMUNDO
NOTICIERO TELEMUNDO
7/13/16
6:30:47 PM – 6:33:41 PM EST | 2 MIN 54 SEC
MARIA CELESTE ARRARÁS, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: Good afternoon, the Republican Party has decided to include in its plan of governance the construction of the border wall proposed by Donald Trump. That decision could erect an indestructible wall between the party and Hispanic voters.
JOSÉ DÍAZ-BALART, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: Yes, Mari, that decision could complicate the aspirations of the Republicans to retake the White House, Angie Sandoval explains.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: When the confetti falls at the Republican convention next week in Ohio, not only Donald Trump will have been nominated. The committee to outline the official platform of the party voted to include two key issue pillars of the magnate: the construction of a border wall with Mexico, and the deportation of undocumented workers.
HELEN AGUIRRE-FERRÉ, DIRECTOR OF HISPANIC MEDIA, RNC: The platform committee of the Republican Party adopted laws and rules that have to do with the policies and values of the party, and that is to be pro-life, pro-religion and also, pro-law.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: The decision drew sparks among pro-immigrant activists.
GUSTAVO TORRES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CASA MARYLAND: They’re sending a clear message, the Republican Party, and that is that they don’t want Latinos in their party.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: And among Republicans like former Governor Jeb Bush.
JEB BUSH, FMR GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: [In English] ...There isn’t going to be a wall built, and Mexico will not pay for it...
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: [Fmr. Gov. Bush] affirms that these ideas are a fantasy that will never come true.
HELEN AGUIRRE-FERRÉ, DIRECTOR OF HISPANIC MEDIA, RNC: What we want as a party, is that immigration is done legally, not illegally.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: The Republican Party defends itself, and assures that Hispanic voters will not turn their backs on them in November.
HELEN AGUIRRE-FERRÉ, DIRECTOR OF HISPANIC MEDIA, RNC: If you are in favor of open borders, you will not agree with the Republican platform. But if you agree that we need to return to a country with rule of law, a country where we reform immigration, then yes, the Republican Party.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: But this support, more than anything that of independents, remains to be seen.
LUIS ALVARADO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The Republican Party is fractured, and this platform is indicative that is fractured.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: Trump is unconventional candidate, and this convention could follow him on that.
ANGIE SANDOVAL, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: The Republican Party bets that this platform does not scare Hispanics because within it, it supports the idea of making Puerto Rico the 51st state. Remember that during the referendum of 2012, more than 60 % of Puerto Ricans chose statehood, and this could be a magnet for the nearly 3 million Puerto Ricans registered to vote in the United States.
