National evening newscasts by Telemundo, Univision, Azteca America, and Estrella TV made no mention of the historic milestone for Hispanics in the United States. CNN en Español, Directo USA, and NTN24’s Informativo also ignored the news.
The unemployment dropped to 4.6 percent in June, while a net of 164,000 Hispanics entered the labor force, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump vowed to create jobs for Hispanics and blacks if he was elected.
“The networks’ stone-cold silence, in the face of the evidence of the Trump administration’s fulfillment of that pledge for Hispanics, African-Americans and the country as a whole, is as clear an indication as any of the depth of the bias that clouds and sullies the news judgement of these media outlets,” wrote Ken Oliver, director of MRC Latino and former White House director of specialty media.
On the night of July 6, the networks focused on a range of other less consequential topics, including coverage of World Cup Soccer. Telemundo ran a report on “World Kissing Day.”
The media blackout on the employment report extended into the weekend. Telemundo and Univision made no mention of the record-setting numbers on the July 7 and July 8 evening newscasts.