Telemundo just threw journalistic ethics and objectivity out the window in what could amount to the most brazen, pro-Biden endorsement to air so far in Spanish-language news media during this election cycle: a lengthy, multiplatform “voter education” report featuring a young Argentinian mother, now a U.S. citizen, who “Just 9 years ago, became a citizen. And this election year, she’s all in for Joe Biden.”
The English-language version of the pro-Biden infomercial prepared by Telemundo's Pulso News, was posted over the Quibi platform. A two-minute Spanish-language version aired on the network´s midday news program Noticias Telemundo Mediodía, which was immediately followed by a 30-second Biden campaign commercial. If you ever wondered what in-kind advertising looks like, ponder no more:
LEONARDO FELDMAN: Magali Orlinsky came to the United States from Argentina 19 years ago.
MAGALI ORLINSKY: We lived a comfortable life, but ultimately, we know it was for the best because we’d have a lot more opportunities here…
FELDMAN: Just 9 years ago, she became a citizen. And this election year, she’s all in for Joe Biden.
ORLINSKY: I feel like the morals and the values of this country are at stake, the way Trump has responded to all the issues going on right now- Coronavirus, systemic racism, healthcare…
FELDMAN: Before the 2016 election, Magaly was a registered Republican. But since then, she has switched parties and, for the first time, she will be voting as a mother.
ORLINSKY: It’s very frustrating. It’s embarrassing. Especially as a parent, because the way Trump acts, the way that he talks, the way that he responds to things people care about- those are not the values that
I’m going to instill in my children.
FELDMAN: I’m Leonardo Feldman for Pulso News.
[...]
FELICIDAD AVELEYRA: We’re a bit over a month away from the presidential election. The polls remain very tight and millions of citizens are preparing to exercise their right to vote. In this segment (titled) “My First Time”, we bring you the story of a woman born in Argentina, who will vote for the first time- as a mother. Leonardo Feldman reports:
LEONARDO FELDMAN: The story of Magali Orlinsky is like that of millions of immigrants who come to this country.
MAGALI ORLINSKY: It was very tough on my family, coming over here. It was very hard for me. I was 11 years old, and it was an age where I had friends back home, and it was very hard for me to get used to living here, but my parents brought us over so we could have a better life.
FELDMAN: Nine years ago she became a U.S. citizen, and this year is the first time she will vote, bearing great responsibility simply because this is the first time she exercises her right to vote as the mother of little Mia. Magali says she’ll vote for Biden.
ORLINSKY: He has good experience as Obama’s vice president and I don’t agree with everything that Obama did, but feel comfortable with the kind of president he was and the type of person he is.
FELDMAN: For Magali, both Donald Trump’s history and his performance as president have been disappointing. And now she doesn’t just think about herself, but about her daughter as well.
ORLINSKY: I don’t feel proud, I don’t think my daughter will feel proud when she looks back and sees who the president was, and the things he did and the laws he wants to pass, and how he isn’t protecting the environment -- I don’t believe that we’re leaving behind a better world for my daughter or for any other child.
FELDMAN: For Magali, exercising her right to vote is a great responsibility not just for her, but for the future of generations to come. For Telemundo News, Leonardo Feldman.
To ensure no loose ends were left out there, Telemundo reporter Leonardo Feldman made the distinction between "bad" Republicans and "good" Democrats: “Before the 2016 election, Magali was a registered Republican. But since then, she has switched parties and, for the first time, she will be voting as a mother.”
The old 'I do it not for myself, but for the wellbeing of future generations' card was heavily played, with the mother, Magali Orlinsky, delivering lines designed to convey an emotional appeal: “It’s very frustrating. It’s embarrassing. Especially as a parent, because the way Trump acts, the way that he talks, the way that he responds to things people care about- those are not the values that I’m going to instill in my children.”
No first-time Trump-voting parents appear to have been readily available for Mr. Feldman to interview. One wonders whether the Biden campaign will be required to report these stories to the Federal Elections Commission as in-kind campaign donations.
The abominable practice of the media openly endorsing a political candidate – in this case for the presidency of the United States - should be called out, especially as enabled by advertisers like Corona Extra. Write them today to express your concern.
MRC Latino interns Sebastián Aquino and María Bello contributed to the preparation of this report.
