Longtime anchor Dunia Elvir is off the air at Telemundo 52. She last anchored a newscast at noon on Friday, January 10.
She normally anchors 12, 5 and 5:30 pm weekday newscasts.
An inside source states she has been suspended for a week.
Her removal from the anchor desk took place a week after she conducted an interview that aired January 3 with the president of a Los Angeles-based Salvadoran community organization under scrutiny over its actions during the Pasadena Rose Parade, when a member of the band the group sponsored to participate in the event was removed from its ranks and not allowed to march.*
The interview was promoted as a two-part event, but the second part never aired.
Social media reaction to the interview was swift, accusing Elvir of asking “softball” questions and of conflict of interest, because a line in her bio on the station’s website stated she is a member of the organization. That bio has been scrubbed from the website.
Elvir, who has worked for Telemundo since 2002, was unavailable for comment.
A station spokesperson would not confirm Elvir’s suspension or reasons why she is not on the air, but issued this statement to Media Moves:
“At Telemundo 52 Los Angeles, we have an uncompromising commitment to integrity and abide to the highest journalistic standards. Our newsroom strives to report accurately and objectively. Our news team works with transparency to deliver information to our viewers that can be trusted and is void of conflicting interests or bias. Some of our viewers have voiced concerns about a story we reported surrounding a community based organization and an appeared conflict of interest with one of our journalists. We have revisited our standards and taken corrective measures to prevent similar instances from occurring in the future. Maintaining credibility and respect of our audience and employees is our utmost priority.”
Media Moves reached out to Enot Rubio, president of Comité Salvadoreño El Piche, the organization in question, for comment regarding whether Elvir has ever been a member of his organization.
Media Moves also contacted VP of News Rubén Keoseyan to inquire how the interview was obtained, who cleared the questions, who decided to have Elvir conduct the highly sought-after interview and why the second part of that interview never aired.
We did not receive a response from either at the time of publication.
* added line about band member removal to give further clarification on the incident.