Unlike CBS, NBC and ABC evening news, in its coverage of the latest Confederate flag controversy Univision, the nation’s top Spanish-language network, has pointed out Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s checkered past in relation to the rebel emblem.
Though Clinton now calls for the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol, Univision correspondent Lourdes Meluzá noted that veneration of the Confederate flag was a prominent part of public life during the years Bill and Hillary Clinton served as Governor and First Lady, respectively, of Arkansas.
LOURDES MELUZA, CORRESPONDENT: while she was First Lady of Arkansas, Confederate Flag Day continued being celebrated there, and Governor Bill Clinton signed a law on the fourth star in the state flag, in honor of the Confederacy.
This is not the first time Meluzá has recently reported information that casts the Clinton campaign in a negative light. She also did so last month, during a story on controversial donations, allegedly tied to influence peddling, to the Clinton Foundation.
Nonetheless, Univision’s coverage of the Clinton campaign has been more typically characterized by cheerleading. The network maintains extraordinarily close ties to the Clintons, including the public support and endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy by Univision Executive Chairman Haim Saban, a programming partnership with the Clinton Foundation, as well as the announcement of the Clinton campaign’s hiring last week of anchor Jorge Ramos’ daughter, Paola.
The referenced portion of Noticiero Univisión is transcribed below.
LOURDES MELUZA, CORRESPONDENT: Candidate Hillary Clinton supports the removal of the flag from the Capitol. However, while she was First Lady of Arkansas, Confederate Flag Day continued being celebrated there, and Governor Bill Clinton signed a law on the fourth star in the state flag, in honor of the Confederacy.
