News Anchor Shuts Down Haters Giving Her Sh*t For Her Spanish Accent

This is literally the dumbest controversy I have ever heard of, and I've heard of a lot.

But here's the story.

Vanessa Ruiz, a news anchor for a Phoenix, Arizona-based NBC affiliate, found herself at the center of a heated -- and, I think, unfathomably stupid -- controversy after Twitter users and viewers gave her flak for pronouncing Spanish words… with a Spanish accent.

It should be noted Ruiz is Latina.

On social media, viewers accused Ruiz of "questioning [their] intelligence" and being "arrogant," among other things.

Ruiz, a new hire at the 12 News station, addressed the controversy on air during a Monday evening newscast. She explained,

I do like to pronounce certain things the way they are meant to be pronounced, and I know that change can be difficult, but it's normal, and over time I know that everything falls into place.

Ruiz, fortunately, didn't seem to give a sh*t about the ridiculous backlash — nor should she.

As Arizona Senator Martín Quezada wrote on Twitter,

Our news [is] now more mature, culturally accepting and accurate. How is that a bad thing?

Ruiz followed up Monday's newscast with a post on the channel's website explaining her reasoning for pronouncing Spanish words in Spanish -- as if that even requires an explanation.

She wrote,

Certain words just sound better when said in their natural way. It really is that simple... I don't intend to come to Phoenix and do things 'my way,' however my goal is to stay authentic to who I am while, hopefully, making our newscasts more open and inclusive to everyone, no matter where they come from.

Amen to that.

Citations: Anchor Explains Her Spanish Pronunciation After Viewers Comment On It (Huffington Post), Vanessa Ruiz's message about her on-air pronunciations (12 News)