Univision, Senator Marco Rubio, and Alleged Media Muscle

Media outlets have their ways of trying to get what they want. Generally, if there is any reporting of episodes involving media muscle, it's subdued. So, when an exception to the media's "look no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" approach to its peers' actions, it's a noteworthy event.

Senator Marco Rubio

That's what makes today's Miami Herald's story about Univision's  dance with US Senator Marco Rubio so fascinating. The newspaper's report carefully noted how a Univision news executive contacted Rubio's office with a deal he might not want to refuse. The Herald article alleges that, in exchange for a personal appearance by Rubio on a Univision national program, an unflattering story about a Rubio relative would "be softened or might not run at all."

Now, it's possible that interests opposed to Univision, or aligned with Rubio, provided useful details about this story. It's also entirely conceivable that the Herald published the article with good journalism as its sole rationale. What's much more interesting is Univision's motivation.

The Univision ploy, if the facts, inferential details, and likely conclusions hold water, is a vivid demonstration of a major media firm attempting to coerce an elected federal official for corporate gain. We've seen this scenario over the years in the business of celebrity journalism, in which extortion, blackmail, and other unsavory tactics are among the media's darker arts. Of course, politics is no stranger to these schemes. For the layperson, the Herald's story opens a fascinating window into how things really happen from the inside out.