Univision Top Anchor Departs Amid Reports Of Media Outlet’s Shift Toward Donald Trump

Ted Johnson
·3 min read
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UPDATE: León Krauze, who departed Univision after reports over the media outlet’s more favorable coverage of former President Donald Trump, posted a lengthier message on X/Twitter about his exit.

“It has been an absolute honor and privilege to be a part of this exceptional team of journalism professionals. I depart with profound gratitude for my friends and colleagues at Univisión, Los Angeles. Together, we shared unforgettable years, embracing community journalism as a true way of life,” he wrote.

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He added, “My unwavering commitment, past, present, and future, is to journalism that amplifies the voices and illuminates the stories of those who so often go unheard and unseen. That will remain my guiding principle. Until very soon.”

PREVIOUSLY: A top anchor at Univision has departed amid reports that the media outlet has shifted to a much more favorable way of covering Donald Trump.

The anchor, León Krauze, wrote Wednesday on X/Twitter, “Very dear friends. I deeply appreciate all the affectionate messages I have received in the last few hours. I will soon publish a statement about my professional future.”

The company said in a statement, “TelevisaUnivision expresses our heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding contributions, expertise, and insightful analyses delivered by Leon Krauze throughout his tenure with our news division. We sincerely appreciate his dedicated efforts in empowering and informing Hispanic communities at both the national and local levels for over a decade. We extend our best wishes to Leon in all his future professional endeavors.”

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Univision canceled Biden campaign advertising spots that were scheduled to run during the outlet’s interview with former President Donald Trump. The Post reported that Univision also canceled an interview with Maca Casado, the Biden team’s Hispanic media director, that was set to be a response to the Trump interview.

The Trump interview itself was regarded as non-confrontational, with the Post noting instances where Trump was not challenged on certain key facts. The interview, conducted by Enrique Acevedo, also was a contrast to Univision’s reporting on Trump under previous ownership. Perhaps most famously, the Trump campaign kicked Jorge Ramos, perhaps the network’s most recognizable personality, out of a press conference in 2015. Ramos had pressed Trump on his rhetoric toward immigrants.

In a statement, Univision said it had been pursuing an interview with Trump since 2015.

“This interview held significant importance for our audience, and we are delighted that Enrique Acevedo, one of our company’s most prominent award-winning journalists, with experience in both the U.S. and Mexico, had the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with Trump,” TelevisaUnivision said in the statement.

The company also said of the Biden campaign advertising, “The decision was made by the company to abstain from political advertising during the interview. Similarly, there will be no Trump advertising during the President Biden interview we have been trying to secure for many months.”

According to Semafor, corporate executives from TelevisaUnivision were present at the Mar-a-Lago interview, and the Post reported that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was involved in arranging it.

Grupo Televisa, the Mexican media company, merged with Univision in 2021.

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