Much of the Left’s supremacy over certain demographics is the simple result of its supremacy in controlling the media consumed by those demographics. When that supremacy is seemingly interrupted, leftists enter panic mode.
This is what happened recently after the Spanish-language network Univision, known for its left-leaning, anti-Trump slant, had Donald Trump on-air for an interview that many liberals felt was not combative enough.
The complaint from various voices on the Left was that the interview gave Trump a “platform,” whereas the network argued it was affording viewers the opportunity to learn more about candidate Trump, the same as it does for Biden and independent presidential contenders.
“What you’re seeing right now is a major meltdown, mostly on the Left, from operators of the Democratic Party, members of the media and members of the celebrity class as well,” Media Research Center news analyst Jorge Bonilla told Fox News.
As the outlet noted of the controversy’s origin:
The saga began earlier this month when Univision aired an interview journalist Enrique Acevedo conducted with Trump from Mar-a-Lago. It was Trump’s first time speaking to America’s largest Spanish-language network since he famously kicked Univision anchor Jorge Ramos out of a 2015 campaign event.
Bonilla explained that Univision was largely seen as anti-Trump, liberal programming from 2015 when Trump sparred with Ramos through the duration of his presidency. But in 2021, when Mexican media company Televisa acquired control of Univision, new leadership attempted to straighten things out.
“They came in and saw that Univision was, in fact, this Democrat toilet, this Democrat talking point repository. And they were horrified, so they’ve been trying to bring … some balance into the equation,” Bonilla said.
The Acevedo interview of Trump prompted a storm of liberal backlash. The Washington Post published an article titled “Latino backlash grows over Donald Trump’s friendly Univision interview” that touted a letter of protest from several Latin-focused advocacy groups to Univision.
Hollywood actor John Leguizamo called on “all my brothers and sisters who are actors, artists, politicians, activists to not go on Univision.”
The hosts of ABC’s The View talked about the interview on their Monday program, with co-host Ana Navarro saying Latinos must hold Univision accountable for its actions.
Some liberals also were angered by the fact that Univision canceled a rebuttal to the Trump interview by an official of the Biden administration and enforced a relatively new policy of the network that prohibits advertising by the opposition during single-candidate interviews.
There was also reportedly some discontent within the network relating to the interview. It is speculated that Univision anchor León Krauze’s recent sudden departure from the network was the result of his outrage at the Trump interview.
The network, however, sent its employees a memo, obtained by Fox News, to try to assuage concerns about the interview.
“Our mission is to make Latinos a vital part our editorial process by encouraging them to register and exercising their constitutional right to vote. Be assured that we hold Univision News to the highest standards of journalism, and we remain committed to informing and empowering our audience,” Univision CEO Wade Davis wrote in the email.
Bonilla lambasted the Left for their reaction to the interview, telling Fox: “Univision hasn’t even really shifted to the right. This is a one-shot interview. This is one time that they sat down with Donald Trump to try and do something level — one time. And because of this one time, the entire Left, the entire media, the activist classes, they’re all up in arms.”
Bonilla described Acevedo’s interview of Trump as being far from the “friendly” or “softball” event many leftists recounted. “[Acevedo] didn’t performatively interrupt Donald Trump. He didn’t insert talking points. He didn’t make a show out of himself,” Bonilla said.
The Media Research Center news analyst chalked up the true cause of the outrage as being a “perception of a loss of air supremacy.”
Bonilla hits the mark perfectly. In the eyes of the Left, Univision committed a cardinal sin by breaking away from propaganda to do what journalists are actually supposed to do: Unbiased, impartial, objective journalism.
For so long, the Left has had the hubris that comes with complete control of the means of communication. They have felt they could get away with anything because they have held the reins of the narrative fed to the public.
But the modern media landscape is changing that. The internet and alternative media have challenged the Left’s stranglehold on the flow of information, upsetting the balance of power that has so long favored the Left.
The mainstream media’s influence has largely been undercut, as the public continually trusts it less and less. The Left believes that what little advantage they have left is in danger when they see a mainstream outlet on their side — Univision — giving airtime to Trump without it being combative.
The Left is panicking because they realize their ideas are so weak that they only win when they suppress opposing viewpoints. For them, the loss of “air supremacy” is an existential crisis.
