Press Release

NAHJ Responds to Gov. Schwarzenegger Regarding Spanish Language Media

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists appreciates the governor taking the time out of his schedule to be with us in San Jose last week. During his appearance, he made the controversial statement that students who have not learned English should turn off Spanish language television. The statement generated more buzz outside our convention than inside. Perhaps that is because we heard the whole context. Perhaps it is because English is the governor's second language. Perhaps it is because what he said had ramifications for larger issues he did not address in his limited time on stage. In any event, we believe the governor made a good point - poorly.

The substance of what the governor said was not controversial: Latino students who struggle in school because they have trouble with English need to improve their English language skills to succeed academically in the U.S.

It is said by some that too many use Spanish language media as a crutch, and that it prevents people from fully assimilating into American society. But crutches are a good thing. They help people walk. Latinos who have yet to learn English in the United States should do so, sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we have a social network that was not available to many previous waves of immigrants in the U.S. We have an extensive network of news media available in Spanish. The current inability of some Latinos to speak English should not bar them from learning about what's happening in their communities. And the ineffectiveness of the mainstream media in providing substantive news about the nations to the south of the United States should not bar those of us who are bilingual from getting that news in Spanish.

Spanish language media serves a purpose. Teaching English is not that purpose. And yet Spanish television and newspapers regularly advertise English courses and programs, and those courses and programs are routinely filled. Latinos want to learn English.

Sometimes it takes a generation before an immigrant wave in the U.S. becomes fully bilingual. Becoming an English speaker was difficult for the Germans and Italians before us. The problem appears exacerbated with Spanish speakers because Latinos continue to arrive in the United States in large numbers. But second-generation Hispanics, born or largely raised in the U.S., are fluent in both languages, or even English-dominant. Just like our predecessors from Italy, Germany and other nations.

The governor's comments, removed from the context of the need to learn English to succeed academically, left the unfortunate impression that he was advocating the demise of Spanish media, or that Latinos in the U.S. should disconnect from our heritage. He did not make either of those statements, and we do not believe he intended to.

The governor might have done better to tell struggling students to turn on English language television rather than to turn off Spanish. That would have placed his concern with adding language skills to our futures rather than detracting from the language of our heritage.