It should be no surprise to anyone that, if given the chance, Fox News will jump into racism with both feet, guns blazing.
This time, it’s the tale of two Florida Carloses.
One is Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, one of Florida’s first openly LGBTQ representatives, a half-Peruvian, half-French Canadian, married to Jerick Mediavilla, a Puerto Rican journalist and educator.
Smith is a progressive out of Miami who is currently suing Gov. Ron DeSantis over COVID-19 data. Smith believes the lack of transparency is “prolonging the pandemic and the pain and suffering of Floridians.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Miami GOP congressman and former mayor, is desperately trying to make a name for himself by rubbing noses with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and voting against President Biden’s infrastructure bill. Oh, and making appearances on Fox & Friends.
“I believe in creating jobs and bringing billions of dollars in infrastructure to expand our roads and build public transit in Florida,” Smith said. “Congressman Carlos voted against the infrastructure plan in Congress.”
These days, according to the Miami Herald, Gimenez is an ultra-conservative Cuban American, but back in 2016, when it was convenient for his reelection in what was a Democratic-majority county, he supported Hillary Clinton.
Smith took to Twitter to take a deserved jab at Gimenez and clear his name.
Of course, Fox dismissed the gaffe as a click “of the wrong button.”
“Of all the times the interview was aired throughout the day, this honest mistake happened once and was rectified immediately,” Gimenez said in a statement sent to Miami Herald’s Fabiola Santiago, via his spokesman. “Mistakes happen.”
But, as someone who worked at the now-shuttered Fox News Latino (FNL), I can honestly say that what started as an attempt to court Latino voters to the Republican party, ended when Trump was elected and they were no longer needed.
The idea of the silo site came from the man himself—Fox News Chairman and famed sexual harasser, Roger Ailes.
The small team of most Latino journalists catered the content to Latino readers. We refused to use the word “illegal,” opting for “undocumented” and attempted to humanize the Latino community, highlighting the good over the usual Fox News take—crime and illegal immigration.
To most readers, it was obvious the angle of FNL stories was drastically different than those of regular Fox News.com and vastly different from the broadcast.
FNL was pulled without fanfare at midnight on Dec. 8, 2016, suspiciously just a month after Trump’s win.
The point is, Fox News, just as the Republican party, sees Latinos as one block. Even if the political divide is wide, the names sound and look a lot the same.
A Carlos here, a Carlos there. Who can keep it all straight?
Just last year Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade said, "it's a fact" that there is an "invasion" of immigrants coming across the US-Mexico border.
Tucker Carlson and all the other Tucker Carlsons of the Foxsphere play to their base, stoking fear about the boogeyman “illegals” coming to take their Karens and kids.
So, forgive me if I don’t buy the lower-third graphic mistake as simply human error, because these folks are far from human or humane to others. I know because I worked there, and with my experience and knowledge, I can assure you that it was intentional.
This time, it’s the tale of two Florida Carloses.
One is Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, one of Florida’s first openly LGBTQ representatives, a half-Peruvian, half-French Canadian, married to Jerick Mediavilla, a Puerto Rican journalist and educator.
Smith is a progressive out of Miami who is currently suing Gov. Ron DeSantis over COVID-19 data. Smith believes the lack of transparency is “prolonging the pandemic and the pain and suffering of Floridians.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Miami GOP congressman and former mayor, is desperately trying to make a name for himself by rubbing noses with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and voting against President Biden’s infrastructure bill. Oh, and making appearances on Fox & Friends.
“I believe in creating jobs and bringing billions of dollars in infrastructure to expand our roads and build public transit in Florida,” Smith said. “Congressman Carlos voted against the infrastructure plan in Congress.”
These days, according to the Miami Herald, Gimenez is an ultra-conservative Cuban American, but back in 2016, when it was convenient for his reelection in what was a Democratic-majority county, he supported Hillary Clinton.
Smith took to Twitter to take a deserved jab at Gimenez and clear his name.
For those wondering, NO. NO. That was not me on @FoxNews. NO. I DID NOT vote to overturn @JoeBiden’s election. I’m the real CGS. I’m a Democrat who defends our democracy and fights for freedom and equality for all! I’m definitely not @CarlosGimenezFL. ?pic.twitter.com/BeWwGatPCV
— Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) December 7, 2021
Of course, Fox dismissed the gaffe as a click “of the wrong button.”
“Of all the times the interview was aired throughout the day, this honest mistake happened once and was rectified immediately,” Gimenez said in a statement sent to Miami Herald’s Fabiola Santiago, via his spokesman. “Mistakes happen.”
But, as someone who worked at the now-shuttered Fox News Latino (FNL), I can honestly say that what started as an attempt to court Latino voters to the Republican party, ended when Trump was elected and they were no longer needed.
The idea of the silo site came from the man himself—Fox News Chairman and famed sexual harasser, Roger Ailes.
The small team of most Latino journalists catered the content to Latino readers. We refused to use the word “illegal,” opting for “undocumented” and attempted to humanize the Latino community, highlighting the good over the usual Fox News take—crime and illegal immigration.
To most readers, it was obvious the angle of FNL stories was drastically different than those of regular Fox News.com and vastly different from the broadcast.
FNL was pulled without fanfare at midnight on Dec. 8, 2016, suspiciously just a month after Trump’s win.
The point is, Fox News, just as the Republican party, sees Latinos as one block. Even if the political divide is wide, the names sound and look a lot the same.
A Carlos here, a Carlos there. Who can keep it all straight?
Just last year Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade said, "it's a fact" that there is an "invasion" of immigrants coming across the US-Mexico border.
Tucker Carlson and all the other Tucker Carlsons of the Foxsphere play to their base, stoking fear about the boogeyman “illegals” coming to take their Karens and kids.
So, forgive me if I don’t buy the lower-third graphic mistake as simply human error, because these folks are far from human or humane to others. I know because I worked there, and with my experience and knowledge, I can assure you that it was intentional.