Parity Project Making A Difference in Corpus Christi, Texas

Latino community advocate Susie Luna-Saldaña, one of about 80 people who attended a follow-up Parity Project town hall for the Scripps-owned Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Corpus Christi, Texas on Jan. 31, 2006, summed it up:

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but the Caller-Times has come a long way in just over a year when it comes to coverage of the Hispanic community. And had it not been for NAHJ’s Parity Project, none of this would have happened. We would not even have been in the same room.”

NAHJ’s Parity Project was originally launched at the Caller-Times in September 2004 during a town hall that attracted several angry people among the 130 who attended.

Hiring of Latino journalists has increased greatly since then at this 57,000 daily circulation paper, though there is still some hiring left to do before it reaches parity with the approximately 54% Hispanic population of that city.

Corpus Christi is significant in U.S. history, especially when it comes to Latinos, as it was the city where the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the American GI Forum were founded.

Please check out more about the Jan. 31, 2006 Parity Project town hall by reading this story that appeared in the Feb. 1, 2006 edition of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

Leaders laud paper's progress, but want more Hispanic news

By Adriana Garza Caller-Times
February 1, 2006

While the Caller-Times has made some strides in covering the Hispanic community over the past 14 months, there is still room for improvement - that was the message Tuesday from many of the community leaders who attended a town hall-style meeting, which is part of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Parity Project.

In September 2004, the newspaper joined with the journalism association to help improve newsroom diversity and coverage of the Hispanic community.

Since the first community meeting, the newspaper has formed an Hispanic Advisory Committee, which meets monthly to discuss issues important to the community.

Local radio talk show host Vicente Carranza sits on the committee and said the coverage of the Hispanic community has improved.

"I see a little progress," Carranza said. "Being that the Caller-Times is the only newspaper in town, we are going to have to learn to work together."

Corpus Christi ISD Board President Manuel Flores said he, too, has seen improvement in the newspaper's coverage of the community, though he said a true sense of cultural awareness is still lacking.

"We are a very distinct and different people, but events cultural in nature are still not covered."

Buck Sosa, who was part of a protest of the Caller-Times several years ago, said he has seen no change over the years. "Seven years ago we decided to boycott the Caller-Times, and, as far as I'm concerned, it hasn't changed," Sosa said. "They are still being biased."

But Parity Project Director Kevin Olivas said things are changing in the relationship between the newspaper and the community.

"Things have gone very good," Olivas said. "This isn't something that can be fixed overnight."

Editor Libby Averyt said meetings like the one Tuesday night are imperative in improving community relations.

"This evening was very constructive," Averyt said. "What I love about these meetings is that people are so open with their feelings and their opinions.

"There is no way we can get better if we don't listen to the community."

Contact Adriana Garza at 886-3618 or Email: garzaa@caller.com

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