Press Release

Orlando Sentinel Becomes First Tribune Co. Newspaper to Join NAHJ’s Parity Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is proud to announce that the Orlando Sentinel will join the association’s Parity Project, becoming the first Tribune Co. newspaper to join the program and the 24th media outlet involved with the project.

Created in 2003, NAHJ’s Parity Project works with English-language media companies serving large Latino populations to increase their Latino newsroom representation and to improve news coverage of the Latino community.

NAHJ, the Sentinel and its Spanish-language weekly, El Sentinel, will launch the new Parity Project partnership on Tuesday, May 23. The launch will include a town hall meeting that will bring together local Latino leaders and newsroom staff to discuss issues affecting the community. The goal of the meeting is to help the Sentinel develop a closer relationship with the Latino community. In addition, the launch will include cultural awareness training for the newsroom staff.

“The Hispanic population of Central Florida is growing rapidly, and we want to strengthen our coverage of the Hispanic community and increase the diversity of the newsroom,” said Charlotte Hall, editor and senior vice president of the Sentinel. “We believe the Parity Project will help us accomplish both goals.”

Joseph Torres, NAHJ Deputy Director, said: “We are proud that the Orlando Sentinel is our newest partner. We are thrilled to partner with a media company that is committed to newsroom diversity and that serves a Latino community that has played a critical role in shaping local and national issues.”

Since its inception, the Parity Project has partnered with 23 media organizations that include outlets owned by the E.W. Scripps Co., Viacom, Media General, MediaNews Group Inc. and now Tribune Co., the Chicago-based parent company of the Orlando Sentinel. Tribune’s properties include 11 leading daily newspapers and 26 television stations.

The Orlando Sentinel is published by Orlando Sentinel Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tribune Co. Orlando Sentinel Communications also is the publisher of OrlandoSentinel.com; the weekly Spanish-language newspaper El Sentinel and its companion Web site, ElSentinel.com; and the Deltona Forum, DeBary/Orange City Forum and DeLand Forum weekly community newspapers. In addition to newspaper and Web publishing, the company is involved in direct mail, niche publishing and commercial printing.