Hispanic journalists slam CNN over lack of diversity in streaming service's lineup

A group representing Hispanic journalists complained that CNN's new streaming service lacks an appropriate amount of Latino representation.

In response, the left-wing outlet points to their series about Mexico starring actress Eva Longoria as proof to the contrary.

On Wednesday, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists published a press release condemning "the lack of Latino journalists in the CNN+ lineup."

They stated: "We expect Chris Licht to do better to ensure that CNN hosts delivering the news reflect the communities they cover, and that diverse candidates are given equal opportunity. To build a strong pipeline of Latino journalists, it is essential CNN+ develop and nurture diverse talent within their news programs, not only to accurately represent communities across the country, but also to positively contribute to the network's evolving programming."

The response to this criticism from the NAHJ is that CNN+ is set to launch a series with Longoria called "Searching for Mexico."

The exact statement by CNN spokespeople to outlets such as The Hill is as follows:

"As a longstanding partner of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, we are proud to launch CNN+ with a very diverse lineup including the previously announced Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico, which is currently in production. We continue to have discussions with journalists across the industry around opportunities at CNN+ and look forward to announcing more diverse shows, talent and content offerings soon."

The CNN+ moniker is a new step for the outlet, both in the wake of the latest surge in streaming services, but also a change in leadership direction taken for the brand overall. Much to the chagrin of other establishment media outlets, Discovery board member John Malone publicly vowed to steer CNN back towards news and away from former CNN boss Jeff Zucker's regime of partisanship.

To that end, Stephen Colbert producer Chris Licht was recently selected as the replacement president for CNN. The Los Angeles Times reported that the launch of CNN+ had been in the range of a $100 million USD investment, give or take.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia is scheduled to happen around the same time as the launch of CNN+. This move is expected to happen at the end of March.

The most we know about CNN+ at this time is that it'll feature personality-based content from the likes of the usual sorts of personalities from the network: names like Brain Stelter, Don Lemon, and Jake Tapper.

However the venture has also made an effort to spice things up by poaching Chris Wallace from Fox News, Audie Cornish of NPR's "All Things Considered," and former MSNBC personality Kasie Hunt.

Also the launch price for a subscription is $2.99 for earlier adopters, with a regular $5.99 price set for anyone after that window.