Hot Topics Workshops
“Go Back to Mexico!” Immigration Stories:
Covering Our Own Community
A large number of news organizations have
assigned Latino reporters to cover immigration.
Many of us are first-—or second-generation
descendants of Mexican and other Latino
immigrants, including undocumented
immigrants. What are the emotional and
psychological effects of reporting on
immigration raids, anti-immigrant extremism
including vigilantes, hate crime backlash against Hispanic
immigrants, and other stories that touch us in such a deeply
personal way? What effect does the daily barrage of hateful
emails and phone calls from racist readers or viewers have on us?
How do we keep our objectivity in check while maintaining our
sanity? We will offer some insights and promote discussion of
these and other related issues.
COORDINATOR/MODERATOR: Fernando
Quintero, reporter, The Rocky Mountain News
PANELISTS: Elizabeth Aguilera, staff reporter,
The Denver Post
David Early, race and demographics editor,
San Jose Mercury News
Teclo Garcia, senior editor, The Arizona
Republic
Yvonne Wingett, reporter, The Arizona
Republic
Is He Really Gay? Discussing the Sexuality of
Public Figures
Speculating on the sexuality of public figures is nothing new for
tabloid journalism. But when is discussing a public figure’s sexuality
a legitimate news story? From the willing disclosures made by
professional sports figures and celebrities to scandals involving
politicians and religious leaders, coverage on this topic can either
lead to productive discussions or sensationalist journalism. When is
it fair game to publicly question someone’s sexuality?
COORDINATOR: Hassan Luis Sudler, National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Board Member & Diversity Oversight Committee Chair
MODERATOR: Daniel Morales, syndicated content manager, Velázquez Press
PANELISTS: Brandon Benavides, Chair, GLBT Caucus NAHJ
Ellen Clegg
Forgotten Pages: Celebrating the History and
Role of the Latino Press in the U.S. on Film
Next year marks the 200th anniversary of the first Spanishlanguage
newspaper in the United States, El Misisipi, founded
in 1808. A multi-media project in the works to mark the
occasion will feature the documentary film Forgotten Pages:
The Pride and Passion of the Latino Press, along with a
companion book, a children’s book and an interactive website.
The film’s rich tapestry will travel from the Latin American
independence and exile press to the alternative activist press of
the 1960’s and 1970’s, from the border publications during the
Mexican Revolution to the growth of Latino broadcasting and
online media used by Latinos today. Come meet those
involved in the project, view historical images, hear about our
rich journalism legacy, and share your stories.
MODERATOR: Félix F. Gutiérrez, professor,
University of Southern California, Annenberg
School of Communication
PANELISTS: Juan Gonzales, founder/editor, El
Tecolote award-winning PBS filmmaker
California Dreamers—How Young People See
Diversity, Family and the Future
California’s 16-to-22 year olds make up the largest and most
diverse youth population in the country, and they worry about
families breaking down, but embrace diversity and show
confidence in the future. A new poll of this group, conducted
by cell phone for New America Media, provides the starting
point for a discussion by young NAM journalists and writers
about the sources of optimism shaping this new generation.
COORDINATOR: Sandy Close, executive director, Pacific News
Service
MODERATOR: Raj Jayadev,
editor, Silicon Valley DeBug, a
bilingual youth publication in
San Jose
Panelists:
Alex Gutierrez, writer and videographer, Silicon Valley De-Bug, author of a number of articles on homeless youth
Angel Luna, community organizer and rapper, Silicon Valley De-Bug
Jean Melasaine, writer and photographer, Silicon Valley De-Bug, author of articles about young people's struggle with the justice system
Adrian Ramirez, art director, Silicon Valley De-Bug, author of articles about the underground economy and the lives of undocumented immigrants in San Jose
Notas Rojas: Covering Crime in Mexico and
Latin America
Covering crime and other sensitive issues in Mexico and Latin
America can be intimidating for a foreign-born journalist. A
reporter must be brave, tenacious and dedicated to their craft in
order to get accurate information safely. This panel provides a
brief, step-by-step presentation of how the Mexican judicial
system works, what hearings occur when and what officials to
call in certain types of cases. Panelists will provide resources and
safety tips as well as share their own experiences
while covering crime and other issues in Mexico,
Cuba, Colombia and Argentina.
COORDINATOR/MODERATOR: Sergio Chapa, reporter, Al Día (Dallas, TX)
PANELISTS: Alfredo Corchado, correspondent, The Dallas Morning News (Mexico City, Mexico)
Carlos Lauría, American program coordinator, Center to Protect Journalists
Robert Lopez, staff writer, Los Angeles Times
Richard Marosi, border reporter, Los Angeles Times
Holland Morris, filmmaker, Morris Producciones (Bogotá, Colombia)
Letting the Sunshine In: Demystifying the
Media Policy Debate
Congress and the Federal Communications Commission are
currently debating laws and regulations that will impact
journalism as well as the news and information the public
receives. Too often, the public is unaware of these debates
because of a lack of news coverage. Free Press, a public
interest media policy group, will provide an overview of the
current battles being fought in Washington that will determine
whether a company can own a TV station and newspaper in
the same market to the future of the Internet. The workshop
will also address the impact of these policies on journalists and
communities of color.
COORDINATOR/MODERATOR: Ben Scott, policy director, Free Press
Joseph Torres, government relations manager, Free Press
Sports, Scandals, and Steroids: When Sports
and News Stories Collide
In an ever bustling sports world, off the field news usually rises
to the forefront and, in many cases, overshadows what
happens on the field. The exposure of performance enhancing
drugs in Major League Baseball may act as the ultimate
defining moment in this phenomenon, essentially creating a
new arena when it comes to covering professional sports.
How has this trend shaped the way we cover the professional
athlete? Did the media drop the ball or look the other way
when it came to covering the steroid use in Major League
Baseball? We’ll hear from an eclectic group of academics and
journalists who will discuss the question on how to handle the
major news sports story.
COORDINATORs: Abe Mendoza, photographer ABC-7, San Francisco
Ricardo Sanchez Jr., sportswriter, Contra Costa Times
MODERATOR: Pedro Gomez, correspondent, ESPN
PANELISTS: Marcos Bretón, Sacramento Bee columnist and author of "Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer” and “Sosa” an autobiography with Sammy Sosa.
Dr. Harry Edwards, sports professor, University of California
Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, reporters, San Francisco Chronicle and authors of “Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports"
Ethnic Media as America's New Global Media
As mainstream media embraces “local, local, local” as the new
mantra, ethnic media practitioners discuss their unique lens for
covering home country and neighborhood as a
single continuum of news, and share the
stories you won’t find in any other sector of
American journalism.
MODERATOR: Elena Shore, reporter/Spanish
media monitor, New America Media
PANELISTS: Sergio Chapa, reporter, Al Día, Dallas, Texas
Gardenia Mendoza-Aguilar, reporter, La Opinión, based in Mexico City
Josué Rojas, former editor, YO! Youth Outlook, San Francisco
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