Newspaper will participate in Parity Project with NAHJ

By Kate Larsen, Camera Staff Writer

December 8, 2004

The Daily Camera launched a long-term community project Tuesday aimed at improving its coverage of Latino communities and hiring Hispanic journalists.

The paper is one of 16 media organizations participating in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Parity Project. The project kicked off with a town hall meeting at the University of Colorado's Eaton Humanities Building, where local Latino leaders met with NAHJ and Daily Camera representatives.

At times, it was a tough audience.

"You're talking to people who've been to 50 meetings like this over the last 20 years," said Bill de la Cruz, former member and president of the Boulder Valley School District Board of Education.

About 20 members of Boulder County's Latino community attended the meeting. From local nonprofit and education leaders to recent immigrants and government employees, they voiced their opinions about how their communities are represented in the local media.

De la Cruz and others said local media coverage of Latino issues often lacks depth.

While Latinos make up 13 percent of the U.S. population, they represent only 5 percent of staff in English language publications, according to NAHJ.

"We're making a commitment to change the situation," said Kevin Olivas, director of NAHJ's Parity Project.

Through cultural awareness training, aggressive recruiting and partnerships with Latino communities, NAHJ's Parity Project aims to add more Latinos to newsrooms and improve news coverage of Hispanic issues.

It targets communities that have a Hispanic population of at least 10 percent. That population in Boulder County is just over 10 percent.

"We want to cover our community — all of our community," said Sue Deans, editor of the Daily Camera.

The E.W. Scripps Co., which owns the Daily Camera, was the first media organization to partner with NAHJ. Nine Scripps newspapers in California, Florida, Texas and Colorado are participating.

"We want this community to accept the newspaper as their community," said Mike Phillips, editorial development director for the E.W. Scripps Co.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Kate Larsen at (303) 473-1361 or larsenk@dailycamera.com.

Copyright 2004, The Daily Camera. All Rights Reserved.