Univision's Falco: CEOs Must Speak Out Against Hate, Violence

Univision CEO Randy Falco is speaking out in the wake of Charlottesville violence and the President's suggestion that both sides had good people and shared the blame.

Falco said that as the CEO of a company serving the "rising diverse American mainstream," he was speaking out against, among other things, "the abject failure to clearly and forcefully denounce the actions of white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and others who espouse racist and hateful views."

He did not say whose abject failure it was, but he did not have to. His meaning was clear: Corporate America needs to fill a moral clarity void in Washington:

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"The current insanity threatens to spiral out of control and has to stop. Leadership is needed. Leaders from corporate America must step in to protect the communities we serve, as so many leaders in our nation’s Capital are failing to speak out forcefully and clearly against the spreading hate and bigotry."

Falco said he would also speak out against 1) efforts to demonize the LGBT community and try to drive it back into the closet; 2) efforts to "break apart" immigrant families and demonize them, 3) attacks on the media "which are surely meant to weaken accountability and safeguards that are absolutely critical to protecting American freedoms.

"I am proud of the greatness of the multicultural America we live in and are making. And I am heartened to see so many CEOs speaking out and hope that they will continue to do so, not only this week but in the coming weeks and months, so that we can pass on to the next generation an America that embraces inclusion and equality for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, language, gender or orientation," said Falco.

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Various corporate advisors have been jumping ship, forcing the president to disband various advisory councils.

"This past week we have all watched the horrific events in Charlottesville and the spreading messages of hate and bigotry in too many communities across the country," said Falco. "Sadly, these events did not happen in a bubble but are endemic of a broader disease of anti-immigrant, racist, homophobic, and religious intolerance that is spreading and threatening to divide our country."

Falco and the President have a history.

Univision and Trump butted heads during the campaign, with Univision dropping Trump’s Miss USA beauty pageant after he called some Mexican immigrants rapists, followed by Trump suing Univision, a suit that was eventually settled, with Trump saying: "I have known Univision's President and CEO, Randy Falco, for more than 20 years and I'm glad we are able to put these differences behind us."

Univision anchor Jorge Ramos was also outspoken about Trump’s stance on immigration and was ejected from a Trump press conference.

Trump and Falco did meet following the election.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.