After a whirlwind day, I want to say this: It's not about me. My comments about some of your inquiries were made out of respect and acknowledgement for some of those who watch us and wondered why I pronounced certain things a certain way in Spanish. I was more than happy to explain and/or clarify. Nothing more. To see what it has become has been surprising, to say the least, but if anything, I'm happy it has ignited a dynamic conversation. I do want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the messages-I'm trying to respond to all of them but they just keep coming and I can't keep up (we still have a newscast to produce!), but I am reading them and I am grateful. One more thing: I want to thank my new #‪#‎12News‬ family for their support. It's meant a lot. 
 
 I am more proud now than ever to be an American, and also, a Latina. 
 
 Thank you. Gracias. ||||| Channel 12 anchor Vanessa Ruiz. (Photo: 12 News) 
 
 News anchor Vanessa Ruiz, who joined Channel 12 (KPNX) this summer, certainly caused a commotion this week. Or should we say, “causó un barullo?” 
 
 Viewers have pointed out that Ruiz pronounces Spanish words “in Spanish.” To put it in plain English, she says words like “Mesa” and "Casa Grande” the way a native Spanish speaker would pronounce them. 
 
 She used some time on the 10 p.m. broadcast on Monday, Aug. 31, to address the situation. She was eloquent and unapologetic. 
 
 “I was lucky enough to grow up speaking two languages,” she said during the broadcast. “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.” 
 
 In other words, take that, haters. The story blew up on the Internet (Buzzfeed picked it up) and pretty soon people who have never set foot in Arizona were chiming in. Of course, many weren't happy with what she said. 
 
 For the most part, however, Ruiz's commentary was greeted with praise. 
 
 @VanessaR12News sorry I'm a day late. Regardless, you're a breath of fresh air & a class act! No need for explanations on pronunciations! — Ed Maldonado (@33maldo) September 2, 2015 
 
 @VanessaR12News I saw your on-air piece about pronunciation. You took a sensitive issue and made it a non-issue. You have a new fan. Grazie! — Hey Bulldog (@swumcc) September 2, 2015 
 
 Ruiz was born in Miami and raised bilingual. She worked for Spanish-language Telemundo as well as English-language KNBC in Los Angeles before coming to the Valley. 
 
 By the way, this isn't new territory for Channel 12. People with long memories will remember anchor Linda Alvarez, who received similar criticism during her run at the station in the '70s and '80s. 
 
 Thank you, @BuzzFeed, for the article. Happy to engage in such an apparently needed conversation with the audience. https://t.co/FRtU8ctwDX — Vanessa Ruiz (@VanessaRuizNews) September 2, 2015 
 
 Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy_cordova. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/1EA5NDG
– Donald Trump doesn't think Jeb Bush is setting a very good example for Americans when he speaks Spanish, but a bilingual Arizona news anchor is likely in the Bush camp on this one. Vanessa Ruiz—who was born in Miami, grew up in Colombia, and studied in Spain before jumping into journalism and nabbing a job at 12 News in July—isn't even taking heat for speaking Spanish, but for her non-Anglicized pronunciation of Spanish words, reports the New York Times. The station's news director tells the Times that some viewers have complained about how Ruiz "rolls her R's when pronouncing Spanish words," as well as how she says certain words like "Mesa" ("MESS-uh," like many Spanish speakers say it, instead of "MAY-suh"). As noted by the Times, the criticism of Ruiz underscores the issues some people have with the proliferation of Spanish in the US, which now has the second-largest population of Spanish speakers in the world. As the Arizona Republic puts it, an "eloquent and unapologetic" Ruiz took to the air Monday to address the issue, gently noting, "I do like to pronounce certain things the way they are meant to be pronounced. And I know that change can be difficult, but ... over time I know that everything falls into place." She added, per 12 News: "Certain words just sound better when said in their natural way. It really is that simple. ... My intention has never been to be disrespectful or dismissive." A bilingual mom of three tells the Times when she heard Ruiz on air for the first time that "I kind of pumped my fist and celebrated. Hey, look, she's not afraid of her heritage." Ruiz posted on Facebook Wednesday: "I'm happy it has ignited a dynamic conversation. … I am more proud now than ever to be an American, and also, a Latina. Thank you. Gracias." (For the record, Spanish is considered the happiest language.)