Among Spanish-language journalists in metro Atlanta, almost no one has a bigger reach than MundoNow’s Mario Guevara.
Over the course of an 18-year career in Atlanta Spanish-language media, the Salvadoran immigrant has amassed more than 500,000 followers on Facebook. His on-the-ground reporting on immigration enforcement among Hispanic communities has received national attention, earning mentions in The New York Times.
This week, Guevara drew attention for another reason: overtly partisan statements he made on Election Day in favor of Republicans, triggering complaints from some of his followers who noted they would like him to remain neutral.
Throughout the day, Guevara, a senior reporter at MundoNow, a media company previously known as Mundo Hispánico, spoke favorably of Republican positions on the economy, crime, and social issues. He also wrote in a since-deleted post that Brian Kemp’s victory meant Democrat objectives of police force “eradication” wouldn’t come to pass. In fact, Stacey Abrams, the defeated Democratic candidate for governor, had actually proposed in her campaign to increase police funding.
“A lot of people talk about Republicans being racist ... But frankly Georgia Republicans now aren’t the same [as before]” he added on a Facebook Live, while wearing MundoNow gear. “Things have changed. We need to get over that emphasis on racial hatred … We need to show that we want to live in a good state, with a good economy, a state where there’s safety.”
A number of his followers were taken aback.
“As a journalist you need to be impartial … stop being a political puppet,” wrote one.
“You are showing your bias in an overt way, and a journalist doesn’t do that,” wrote another.
In response to the pushback, Guevara noted that he would be open to working on a campaign or for a candidate in the future.
The following morning, he wrote he no longer feels a professional obligation to political neutrality.
“Before, they would teach us in university that journalists had to remain neutral, but frankly that old tale has unfortunately become a thing of the past.”
In a statement, Rene Alegria, MundoNow’s president and CEO, said Guevara’s comments “do not reflect Mundo’s stance on journalism and the important role it plays to inform our community in any way. His opinions are his alone, not Mundo’s.”
He added: “Mundo has been reporting on elections for 42 years and counting. Our commitment to journalism has never been stronger, and our collective efforts reflect this.”
The rise of vocal conservative partisans among Spanish-language media figures could be a boon to Georgia Republicans’ incipient efforts to court Hispanic voters.
At Kemp’s Election Night watch party, Guevara took a moment to congratulate Mexican native John King, the Republican candidate for insurance commissioner who became Georgia’s first Hispanic person elected to statewide office.
“A lot of our Latino people are conservative,” said Guevara. “As a journalist, let me tell you that I hope you get four more years” in office.
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