Press Release
April 13, 2005
Increase of Latino Journalists 'Dismal' at U.S. Dailies
NAHJ Says Stronger Commitment Needed
to Make Real Change
WASHINGTON -- NAHJ is disappointed with the dismal increase in the percentage of Latino journalists working at English-language daily newspapers last year reported by the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ annual newsroom census released today April 12.
The slow growth of Latino journalists places ASNE’s goal of reaching parity by 2025 in jeopardy. The number of Hispanic journalists working at U.S. dailies went from 2,258 to 2,323 last year, just a 0.12 percent increase (4.17 to 4.29 percent). At that rate, ASNE’s goal for reaching parity with the Latino population by 2025 – 18 percent – would take more than 90 years to achieve.
“We’re encouraged by the slight increase, but not satisfied with the slow progress being made,” said Verónica Villafañe, NAHJ president. “We need a stronger commitment from newsrooms to make real strides, and we’ve shown that it can be done.”
The association’s Parity Project, dedicated to increasing the number of Latino journalists working in the news media, demonstrates that daily newspapers can be agents of change and diversify their staffs rapidly.
Several newspapers in the project have experienced dramatic increases in the short time since joining the project. They include:
- The San Angelo Standard-Times nearly tripled its Latino staff -- from 3 to 8 – in just 18 months.
- The Rocky Mountain News nearly doubled its Latino staff in two years – from 12 to 23.
- The Corpus Christi Caller-Times went from 15 Latinos on staff to 22 -- nearly a 50% increase in just seven months.
The Parity Project specifically targets cities with a large and rapidly growing Latino population and develops long-term, holistic partnerships in those cities between NAHJ, the individual media company, the Latino community and local journalism educators.
Founded in 1984, NAHJ's mission is to increase the percentage of Latinos working in our nation's newsrooms and to improve news coverage of the Latino community. NAHJ is the nation's largest professional organization for Latino journalists with more than 2,300 members working in English and Spanish-language print, photo, broadcast and online media.
|
