Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) expressed dismay on Wednesday at the major Spanish language outlets for their promotion of the Affordable Care Act.
Citing a study by the Media Research Center, the conservative media watchdog helmed by Brent Bozell, Rubio told right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt that Univision and Telemundo have been “all-out advocates” for the law.
“Both of the major Spanish language networks, but Univision in particular, have basically become all-out advocates for Obamacare, trying to get people signed up,” Rubio said. “I mean, if ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, anybody were doing that, I mean, there would just be an extraordinary amount of criticism.”
The four-month study by MRC found what it described as a “clear liberal slant” in newscasts on both Telemundo and Univision. Each outlet denied the allegations of bias, and Bozell himself acknowledged that the “conservative movement needs to make a stronger effort to constructively engage with Spanish-language media.”
But a report in BuzzFeed last week detailed how Univision has engaged in a “company-wide initiative” to encourage its Latino audience to sign up for health insurance.
Rubio said the outlets have a right to do what they want, but he called it “unfortunate.”
Audio of Rubio’s interview is available at Mediaite.