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)