Latin Post
By Selena Hill
September 29, 2015
Latino
activists sent a strong message to MSNBC on Monday, hand-delivering
over 7,000 signatures in support of the network's only Latino anchorman,
Jose Diaz-Balart, in
wake of rumors that his show might be cancelled.
In
addition to being the network's only Latino anchor, Diaz-Balart is
known as a valuable voice for the Hispanic community and for his
consistent coverage on important
issues like immigration reform. However, earlier this month, Mediaite
reported that the left-leaning station was planning to shave an hour off
of "The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart," which currently runs from 9
a.m. to 11 a.m. EST on weekday mornings in in
order to expand "Morning Joe."
Following
the report, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) wrote a
letter to MSNBC executives Andrew Lack and Phil Griffin, voicing outrage
about the network's
plan to cut Diaz-Balart's show by an hour.
In
the private letter, which was obtained by Buzzfeed, NHLA Chairman Felix
Sanchez made note of a prior meeting that the Latino group had with the
network's heads in order
to "increase Latino representation on MSNBC." Sanchez also warned that
if reports to cut Diaz-Balart are true, then the group will show "strong
opposition" to the decision.
As
opposition against MSNBC's possible cut down or cancellation of "The
Rundown" grew, America's Voice Education Fund collected nearly 8,000
signatures via Moveon.org
and AV.org. Activists from the group, along with the Dream Action
Coalition, then delivered the signatures to the MSNBC studios in New
York City.
"José
Díaz-Balart built his career at Telemundo and has strong ties to the
immigrant and latino communities, but now MSNBC may be ending his show
just so that they can
give an extra hour to "Morning Joe," reads the petition.
"Every
morning, José Díaz-Balart reports the facts about immigrant
contributions in the United States," the petition adds. "He's a critical
voice for millions of immigrant
families across the country."
"As
a journalist, it has been José Díaz-Balart who has spoken to President
Obama about his executive actions, challenged Donald Trump's
anti-immigrant rhetoric, and has
consistently spoken to DREAMers about their advocacy efforts."
"MSNBC
cannot have it both way - they cannot claim to be a reliable cable news
network, while silencing journalists like José Díaz-Balart."
In
a press release sent to LatinPost.com, Cesar Vargas, Co-Founder of
Dream Action Coalition, said "Jose Diaz-Balart is an important voice for
the Latino community across
the country and MSNBC should honor this significance by not only
keeping him on the show, but by ensuring other voices are brought in to
speak to a diverse community."
Likewise,
Juan Escalante, Digital Campaigns Manager for America's Voice Education
Fund, added that "José Díaz-Balart is one of the most respected
journalists in the national
media today, and has consistently provided fair and balanced coverage
on the issues that matter most to immigrants and Latinos. We need voices
like Jose's, journalists who report on the contributions our
communities make across the country, in order to combat
the anti-immigrant rhetoric that continues to be spread each and every
day."
For more information go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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