At what point do journalists stop feigning objectivity and become bald-faced activists?
Someone should ask Telemundo’s evening news reporter Vanessa Hauc.
Former Vice President Al Gore’s non-profit organization, Climate Reality Project, featured Hauc in a promotional video for “24 Hours of Reality.”
Currently, Gore’s group is recruiting “Climate Reality Leaders” for its March 2016 conference in the Philippines. The event’s site advertises Hauc as a previous speaker at its “Climate Leadership Training Corps” event in 2015. While there, she defended her role as a journo-activist, saying that that while journalists should be objective on most issues, there are issues where they can eschew balance.
“I realize that there are some issues that, yes, you can move a little bit – critical issues that are very important for your community, like health, human rights, the environment. Because this is something that’s crucial. Then you can definitely put yourself into it because this is information that is going to be vital for your community,” Hauc said at the conference held in Miami, Florida.
Hauc is a reporter for Telemundo’s evening news show, Noticiero Telemundo.
But her relationship with Gore’s advocacy organization began years ago. As early as 2011, Hauc hosted a portion of the organization’s “24 Hours of Reality” show, which The New York Times said Gore advertised it as an event to focus “the world’s attention on the full truth, scope, scale and impact of the climate crisis to remove the doubt, reveal the deniers, and catalyze urgency around an issue that affects every one of us.”
Hauc also participated in a Climate Reality Project public service announcement, called “The Cost of Carbon.” In it, she urged viewers to make a commitment “to be a part of the solution” to climate change.
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Environmentalism is such a priority for Hauc that (along with a willing Telemundo network) she created a segment called “Alerta Verde,” or “Green Alert” dedicated to news about the issue.
“They embraced this wish that I had to do more with the environment. ... So we created a segment called ‘Green Alert,’ and it’s doing wonderful! We’ve had it for five years, and every time we do it the ratings are up.” Hauc reportedly said of her network.
Hauc also created the organization Sachamama, or “Mother Jungle,” which is, “deeply committed to raise awareness, educate and empower the Latino community on the importance of preserving our planet, putting an emphasis on the personal dynamics and its connection with the climate crisis.”
