Unapologetic News Anchor Gracefully Shuts Up Viewers Criticizing Her Spanish Accent

Debbie Encalada
Updated
Haters take a seat.

Vanessa Ruiz is a boss. The newly hired Latina news anchor for Phoenix, Arizona’s 12 News, handled criticism and straight up racism in a classy and thoughtful way after viewers flooded Ruiz’s social media accounts with complaints about her pronunciation of certain words with a Spanish accent. One person even insulted Ruiz, calling her an “outsider.”

Ruiz addressed the (non)controversy during a newscast Monday night where she stuck to her guns and merely explained her pronunciation of things without apologizing. She said,

“I do like to pronounce certain things the way they are meant to be pronounced, and I know that change can be difficult, but it’s normal, and over time I know that everything falls into place.”

She then further elaborated on the topic via a post on the news station’s website. Ruiz wrote:

“Certain words just sound better when said in their natural way. It really is that simple… I don’t intend to come to Phoenix and do things ‘my way,’ however my goal is to stay authentic to who I am while, hopefully, making our newscasts more open and inclusive to everyone, no matter where they come from.”

Since then she’s received an outpouring of support from inside and outside of the Latino community from viewers and non-viewers alike:

Ruiz kept it genuine and informative, exactly what a news anchor should be.

[via Elite Daily]

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