Press Release

NAHJ and CCNMA Alarmed by Proposed Elimination of Journalism Programs in Ventura County, Calif.

Chancellor James Meznek
The Ventura County Community College District
Chancellor's Office
333 Skyway Drive
Camarillo CA 93010

Dear Chancellor James Meznek:

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the California Chicano News Media Association are alarmed that the Ventura County Community College District is considering eliminating the journalism programs at Oxnard and Ventura Community Colleges despite the serious impact this decision would have for Latino students, the Latino community and for all residents in Ventura County and the state of California.

Increasing the number of Latino students pursing careers in journalism should be a major public policy initiative for all colleges in California, a state that has the largest Latino population in the country. Oxnard and Ventura Community Colleges serve large Latino student bodies. The journalism programs at each campus also serve many Latino journalism students.

As the nation becomes more diverse, so must our nation’s newsrooms. The news media play a central role in explaining to their audiences the complex world we live in, ensuring that every citizen and resident receive the information they need to participate effectively in a democratic society. However, Latino journalists remain woefully underrepresented in our nation’s newsrooms. Latinos make up just 4 percent of all newsroom personnel working at daily newspapers and 6 percent of all newsroom employees working at local TV stations. Many newspapers and TV stations that have the largest disparity between the make up of their newsroom and the Latino population are located in California. This disparity has serious public policy consequences to every citizen and resident of the state. We believe your pending decision to cut the journalism programs at Oxnard and Ventura Community Colleges will contribute to the dismal state of newsroom diversity throughout California.

The NAHJ and CCNMA work closely with the Ventura County Star and several other newspapers and news stations throughout California to increase the number of Latino journalists. As part of this initiative, we are working closely with California community colleges to identify talented Latino journalism students. We want to track these students and help them find internships and/or newsroom jobs upon their graduation.

But we can’t be successful in this endeavor alone. We understand that the Ventura County Community College District has to make budget cuts. But we believe this is not the time to reduce your commitment to journalism and to Latino journalism students. We are living in an informational and digital age that has transformed our society and the American media system. In the process, it has elevated the need for journalists with training and credibility. This is the time to strengthen your commitment to journalism education. We urge you to demonstrate your support for journalism by not cutting the programs at Oxnard and Ventura Community Colleges.

If you want to learn more about NAHJ’s and CCNMA’s initiatives, please call us at 213-437-4405 or 213-437-4408. Both CCNMA Executive Director Julio Moran and I would relish the opportunity to meet with you in person and talk to you more about our programs. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Rosa María Santana
NAHJ Parity Project Associate Director
(West Coast)

Julio Moran
CCNMA Executive Director