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March 17, 2005
NAHJ's Parity Project Comes Ashore Along Florida's Treasure Coast
by Kevin Olivas, Parity Project Director
There are so many Latinos who are moving into Florida’s Treasure Coast area, that researchers in that region are having a difficult time keeping an accurate count. “I’ve seen figures range from seven to 30% of the area’s population being identified as Latino,” said St. Lucie County, Florida Cultural Affairs Department Director Jon Ward.
He took part in two newsroom cultural awareness presentations during the launch of NAHJ’s Parity Project at Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers during the week of March 7, 2005.
The E.W. Scripps Company has a set of newspapers that are in the process of combining into one operation while publishing newspapers with three separate names that serve Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties. This is an area along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, north of West Palm Beach and south of Daytona Beach. These three publications have a combined circulation of more than 100,000 daily. There are two twice-a-week papers, the Jupiter Courier of Jupiter, Fla. and the Sebastian Sun of Sebastian, Fla. that are also a part of this company.
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| Cultural Affairs Director Jon Ward conducts a cultural awareness session for the staff of the Press Journal newspaper in Vero Beach, Fla. |
More than 50 Latino leaders in that three-county region turned out for a series of Parity Project town halls that were co-sponsored by NAHJ and the Stuart News (Martin County), the Fort Pierce Tribune and the Port St. Lucie News (St. Lucie County), as well as the Press Journal of Vero Beach (Indian River County).
Roberto Roldán, president of the Puerto Rican Association for Hispanic Affairs and a Treasure Coast resident for 16 years, says the Parity Project is needed to encourage these papers to devote more attention to Latinos. “I have tried on several occasions in the past to get coverage of our San Juan Festival. I have had no response from the newsrooms of these papers. Instead, I have had to go to the marketing department of the Treasure Coast Newspapers to get help.”
Ramón Trias, who is a member of the Spanish-American Club in the Treasure Coast, also works for St. Lucie County and is often approached by journalists regarding various stories. “Not once have I been approached by a Latino journalist from one of the Treasure Coast papers. I have suggested stories about Latinos and education. I have been told that ‘our editors are not interested.’ I used to read the papers every day, but no longer do. The news is not timely. Hire good people who can do good stories and I may be a customer again.”
Ward says the Treasure Coast is an area that is in constant change when it comes to Latinos, since many are coming in to that area from throughout Latin America. He says a significant number are moving from México to the city of Fellsmere in Indian River County. And he says immigrants from Guatemala are arriving in large numbers.
In fact, NAHJ member Robert Barba, who was recently hired as a business reporter by the Treasure Coast Newspapers, say that particular group warrants coverage. “Many of them are distrusting of banks. So quite a few Guatemalan immigrants carry large amounts of cash on them. This has made several of them prime targets for robbery.”
In addition to these people, there is a sizable Cuban population in the area, as well as people who are either from or descended from Colombia and Venezuela.
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| Concerned Latino leaders attend one of three NAHJ Parity Project town halls at Scripps-owned newspapers along Florida's Treasure Coast region. These folks are attending a town hall for the Fort Pierce Tribune and the Port St. Lucie News in St. Lucie County, Fla. St. Lucie County, Fla. |
Bobby Rodriguez chairs the Latin Chamber of Commerce of the Treasure Coast. “There is going to be an explosion of Latinos in this area like you wouldn’t believe. There is a growing mix of people who have just arrived here from countries and regions in Latin America, as well as those who are second and third-generation U.S.-born. The Treasure Coast papers will need a balance of local and international stories to capture that audience.”
Mark Tomasik, editor of the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, told the audience at one of the town halls that Latinos make up a segment of his potential readership that cannot be ignored or under-served. “If our stories are not timely, I want to know about it. In January of 2005, the Treasure Coast papers started a page called ‘The Americas,’ focusing on international stories from throughout the Western Hemisphere. But that is a baby step. We should also be checking out what weekly Spanish-language newspapers in this area are doing to cover Latinos and offer news that is of interest to Hispanics in this region.”
Gladys Velez is the president of the Treasure Coast’s Pan-American Club, which specifically seeks to offer support to Latinas. “This is a great first step. I hope that it succeeds.”
Rita Perez Richardson retired to the Vero Beach area after living in Philadelphia and New Mexico. “I like this area and I read the Treasure Coast papers every day. I am concerned about what is happening in my community, especially as it concerns Hispanics. The Press Journal recently did a wonderful series on the influx of Latino immigrants to this area. I would like to see more of that.”
Roland Funcke, director of the Treasure Coast’s Latin Chamber of Commerce, says he is heartened by the step that the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers has taken. “This is not a case of us going to Scripps. Instead, Scripps has come to us to seek our input and advice. This is a great opportunity.”
Four Major League Baseball teams have their spring training homes in the Treasure Coast: the Marlins and Cardinals in Jupiter; the Mets in Port St. Lucie and the Dodgers in Vero Beach.
Roberto Ortiz, who recently relocated to the Treasure Coast from his native New York City, says he is like other U.S.-born Latinos who want to plant roots in the area. “I see a disconnection between the Hispanic community and the papers. We have to bridge that gap because of the importance of the media and the dramatic growth of Hispanics in this area.”
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| The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Press Journal serve a three-county area along Florida's Atlantic coast and are collectively known as the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. |
Treasure Coast Newspapers Publisher Tom Weber says he also got a lot out of the town halls and the newsroom cultural awareness sessions provided by NAHJ. “In addition to looking toward NAHJ for more newsroom job candidates who are Hispanic to consider for hiring, we might also look into subscribing to a syndicated columnist who is Hispanic. Perhaps we could even look into having a comic strip or editorial cartoons that are put together by Hispanics,” he said at one of the town halls.
While there is a small number of NAHJ members who are currently working at the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, NAHJ will be working with these publications to help them to find more job candidates who are Latino. And NAHJ will be working with the Treasure Coast Newspapers to continue the great start that the Parity Project has provided.
To learn more about newsroom jobs at the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and at other NAHJ Parity Project partner newsrooms, please visit:
www.nahj.org/parityproject/jobs.shtml.
And to check out the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, please visit that company’s Web site at: www.tcpalm.com.
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