Hispanic Media Turning on Obama

BBC reported that: Leading Spanish-language news outlets have become increasingly critical of President Barack Obama's failure to enact immigration reform. With an immigration overhaul nowhere on the horizon, Hispanic journalists have been openly expressing their discontent with the president, accusing him of failing to take action on the promise that won him 67% of the Hispanic vote in 2008. The long time romance between the US Spanish-language media and the Obama administration seems to be over. "Latinos overwhelmingly voted for Obama because he promised immigration reform within a year, but now the White House has lost control of the debate", says Univision presenter Jorge Ramos, who is seen by many as the leading voice of a movement within the Spanish-language media that is turning its back on the president. Some observers credit the growing Hispanic media criticism with the recent decline in Mr Obama's approval ratings among Hispanics. A recent study by America's Voice - a pro-immigration reform group - indicates the Hispanic vote could be crucial in 40 electoral contests in 12 states during the November mid-term elections. But Mr Ramos says Hispanic voters are so disappointed they are unlikely to vote in November in the same numbers. The feeling of unrest towards the president had already begun to coalesce when, in his State of the Union address, Mr Obama failed to list comprehensive immigration reform among his top priorities. Pilar Marrero, a political columnist of La Opinion, said the Hispanic media's stance on the White House reflected the larger community's opinion about the need for immigration reform. Sixty-seven per cent of Hispanic voters backed the Mr Obama in 2008 "The media is also reminding the president of the promise he made on the campaign trail, which many of us, the journalists, reported in our coverage." Some Hispanic voters praise the president's accomplishments on healthcare reform and economic stimulus, but others note that immigration reform is a distinctly personal issue.