Jorge Ramos: ‘the Walter Cronkite of Hispanic news’

By Alex Weprin 

The Washington Monthly profiles Univision, and the Spanish-language network’s star anchor, Jorge Ramos. Noting that Univision is by far the most powerful name in Hispanic news in the U.S., the article uses the 2012 election as  a backdrop

If Univision is the most important Spanish-language network, then Ramos is the biggest, most trusted on-air personality on Spanish-language TV. Often referred to as the Walter Cronkite of Hispanic news, he connects with viewers on a nightly basis. An immigrant from Mexico with olive skin, green eyes, and silver hair, he has interviewed every sitting president since George H. W. Bush and most of the major White House hopefuls during that time, with the exception of Bob Dole in 1996. Along the way he has won eight Emmys and written eleven books, including A Country for All: An Immigrant Manifesto. Ninety-three percent of Univision viewers have a favorable view of him.

The magazine notes the recent scandal surrounding Univision and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, as well as the view that many conservatives hold that the network is an “enemy” in the liberal media:

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If it seems like the network targets the GOP, they add, it’s because conservatives give them more material to cover. “We don’t get into politics,” says Isaac Lee, the head of news at Univision. “We do not forget who our audience is, what their needs are, and what our responsibility is to them as a community, but that doesn’t mean we advocate for particular things.” Most of those I talked to at Univision insist they aren’t advocating for Latino issues, but say they are instead “empowering” the community to make choices. The majority of Hispanics, for example, support the DREAM Act, legislation that would grant legal resident status to undocumented immigrants brought here as children, provided they enroll in college or join the military.

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