Anchorwoman Vanessa Ruiz joined Phoenix's NBC affiliate in July, where she was assigned three nightly newscasts. Ruiz wasn't on the job more than two months before she received a flurry of complaints, but not for anything disparaging or offensive she said.
Arizona viewers are upset with Ruiz's pronunciation of words, which they're accustomed to hearing in English, as well as the manner in which she "rolls her R's," according to 12 News director Sandra Kotzambasis. Some criticize how the bilingual anchor enunciates Mesa, a desert town located about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix.
"Locals pronounce it 'May-suh,' but many Spanish speakers and natives say 'Mess-uh,'" Kotzambasis told the New York Times. Trivial to many, the issue has blown up in an overtly-Republican state, smack-dab in the center of the country's hotly-contested immigration debate.
Ruiz defended her habit during Monday night's 10 p.m. broadcast.
"I was lucky enough to grow up speaking two languages," Ruiz said. "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."
Wednesday, she posted a statement to 12 News' website, clarifying that it was never her intent to be disrespectful and adding that she hoped to make "our newscasts more open and inclusive to everyone, no matter where they're from."
Ruiz's on-air explanation drew a mixed reaction from Twitter users. While some applaud her eloquence in expressing her heritage, others believe she is haughtily questioning viewers' intelligence.
"My comments about some of your inquiries were made out of respect and acknowledgment for some of those who watch us and wondered why I pronounced certain things a certain way in Spanish," she wrote in a Facebook post. "I was more than happy to explain and/or clarify. Nothing more."
Latinos make up about 30 percent of Arizona's population, according to a January 2013 study conducted by Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business. Those numbers coincide with numerous Pew Research Center studies showing increasing numbers of Hispanics either born or immigrating to the U.S.
Republican candidates vying to become the next president have made it a point to distance themselves from any type of immigration reform that would continue the trend. GOP front-runner Donald Trump has gone so far as to announce his intent to repeal the 14th Amendment, guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the country.
Trump even takes exception to fellow nominee Jeb Bush speaking Spanish to Spanish-language voters.
"I like Jeb," Trump told Breitbart News. "He's a nice man. But he should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States."
Bush countered by saying Trump is insinuating that every language other than English be banned. "I guess no more French classes for public schools?" Bush said. "German, no we can't have that."
Ruiz, for her part, grew up in Colombia and studied in Spain before landing jobs with Telemundo and NBC Los Angeles. The former led to her becoming the youngest international news anchor and executive producer in Telemundo's history, as written in Ruiz's LinkedIn page.
"I am more proud now than ever to be an American, and also, a Latina," Ruiz concluded on her Facebook post. "Thank you. Gracias."
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