More Newsroom Diversity

The following is a guest blog from Kevin Olivas, director of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Parity Project.

Much has been said by cable TV pundits and others about media diversity and news coverage of local communities. But there is a need to examine the media landscape and check out who is telling these stories, prompting the question: Do we have diversity in American media? For Latinos, as with other people of color, the answer is no.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Latinos currently comprise 15 percent of the overall U.S. population and will make up 30 percent of all people in the United States by the year 2050.

When it comes to the field of journalism, however, Latinos register just a little more than a blip. According to the American Society of News Editors, Latinos make up just 4.7 percent of the work force for print and online editions of U.S. daily English-language newspapers.

And according to the Radio-TV News Directors Association, Hispanics comprise about 6 percent of the overall work force in local English-language TV newsrooms.

Certainly the argument can be made that Latinos are well represented in Spanish-language media, but that is not where most Americans get their news. Most decision-makers in the United States get their information from English-language media.

This reality is not lost on Latino community leaders like Dr. Delio D. Tamayo, who wrote for SaveTheNews.org last week: “…we’re left with our longstanding community or specialty publications, which serve an important role, but which suffer from ever more limited resources and a narrow reach. Our ability to influence general policies and social attitudes through the media is emaciated and in need of urgent assistance.”

Another way to look at this issue is to consider a couple of major stories involving Hispanics in the United States in 2009 that did not focus specifically on immigration.

One was the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. How many journalists or pundits can you name who happen to be Hispanic were among the regular commentators as her nomination moved forward?

There were certainly plenty of highly qualified journalists out there. Former ABC News Supreme Court correspondent Manny Medrano of KTLA-TV in Los Angeles is one. Not only was he an English-language network-level reporter, he is also a practicing attorney. And he is a board member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

And there is fellow former NAHJ board member María Elena Salinas. She is an anchor for the Univision Spanish-language network and a columnist whose stories are syndicated in English and Spanish nationwide.

There is also former NAHJ President Juan Gonzalez, an award-winning author and columnist for the New York Daily News as well as co-host of the national radio show Democracy Now.

Yet their voices were not often heard in connection with Sotomayor’s nomination.

The same goes for the recent space shuttle mission of astronaut Jose Hernandez, who became the first person to Twitter from space in English and Spanish. Hernandez’ family is originally from México, and many news consumers there hung on to his every communique.

There are certainly journalists who do not happen to come from diverse backgrounds who could cover people of color and do it well. But it is still important to note that there are journalists who happen to come from diverse backgrounds who are among the best candidates for any news-related job.

The lack of media diversity plays a central role in our nation’s journalism crisis and in the future of news in America. It’s a problem that must be addressed. Addressing this crisis also brings the opportunity to bring about a media industry that includes more journalists of color. And it can usher in,revamped media that include improved coverage of issues that are important to communities of people of color.

As the director of NAHJ’s Parity Project, I have seen a profound impact on communities through media companies that incorporate diversity into their newsrooms and in their news coverage. The Parity Project is an innovative program that is aimed at improving news staff diversity and news coverage of diverse people, especially the growing U.S. Latino community. Currently, 24 media companies are partners in the Parity Project.

One of the best examples of the kind of impact that diversity can have through the media is the Rocky Mountain News, where the number of full-time Hispanics on the news staff more than doubled. And the Rocky’s work with diverse community leaders produced captivating stories like these:

• Columnist Tina Griego’s year-long exclusive access to the administrators, teachers, parents and students at Denver’s North High School, providing a window into the daily life of an inner city school.
• An award-winning June 2006 multimedia, bilingual series on the effect of immigration in Colorado that can be seen here. Former Rocky editor, president and publisher John Temple says such a series would not have been possible without the Parity Project.
• Extensive coverage of the April 2005 death of Denver Chicano rights icon Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales. In Tamayo’s blog, he says that prior to the Parity Project, Gonzales’ death would barely have merited a mention in the local media.

While some news organizations are working to improve diversity, the journalism industry as a whole has not. This has to change as we move forward.

If American media are to tell America’s story accurately, regardless of the medium through which it is told, then Latinos and other people of color must play an active role in telling that story.

Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Free Press does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media and universal access to communications.