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January 18, 2006
Los Angeles Daily News Is Newest NAHJ Parity Project Partner
Media Contact: Rosa María Santana (213) 437-4405
LOS ANGELES – The Daily News of Los Angeles is the latest news organization to join the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ (NAHJ) Parity Project.
The Daily News serves Southern California’s San Fernando Valley and nearby communities in Northern Los Angeles County and Eastern Ventura County. The paper has a Sunday circulation of 201,000 and is owned by MediaNews Group, Inc.
“NAHJ is proud to have the Daily News of Los Angeles as a partner in the Parity Project,” said NAHJ Parity Project director Kevin Olivas. “We are happy to partner with a company that has made a commitment to ensuring that its coverage is reflective of the needs of Latinos in the communities that it serves.”
According to the Knight Foundation’s 2005 Power Reporting study, almost 17% of the Daily News’ editorial professional staff is non-white while the majority of people living in the paper’s coverage area (53%) are people of color, with a Latino population of 37%.
“We are very happy to be partnering with the NAHJ in our efforts to recruit a staff that better reflects the demographics of the region we serve and in our continuing outreach to the Latino community,” Daily News Editor Ron Kaye said.
The Daily News and NAHJ will co-host a town hall meeting on March 7. Latinos from throughout the San Fernando Valley will be invited to meet with the paper’s news staff and other executives to offer their views on the Daily News’ coverage of issues affecting Latinos.
“The town hall meeting is an incredible opportunity for the paper to strengthen our connection with the Latino community,” Daily News Publisher and CEO Tracy Rafter said. “This is an important next step for us to take and are pleased to be working closely with NAHJ on this project.”
The Los Angeles Daily News is the first newspaper from the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG) to join the Parity Project. LANG is made up of eight daily newspapers serving several areas of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
MediaNews Group, Inc., the parent company of these publications, is the nation’s seventh largest newspaper group. It joins the newspaper and broadcast divisions of the E.W. Scripps Company, Lee Enterprises, Inc., Media General, National Public Radio and Viacom as partners in NAHJ’s Parity Project. A total of 22 news media outlets are currently involved in the Parity Project.
Through the Parity Project, NAHJ identifies cities where Latinos are underrepresented in area newsrooms, but comprise a significant portion of the population. In these cities, NAHJ works with local print and broadcast newsrooms, area journalism schools, foundations and Latinos to increase the newsroom presence and influence of Hispanics.
Since the inception of the Parity Project in 2003, NAHJ has helped almost 80 Latino journalists find full-time jobs in participating newsrooms. In addition, NAHJ has aided in improving relations between these newsrooms and the Latino community.
NAHJ’s Parity Project is sponsored by the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Founded in 1984, NAHJ is based in Washington, D.C. NAHJ is the nation’s largest professional organization for Latino journalists with about 2,000 members who work in print, photo, broadcast and online media.
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