WASHINGTON – Despite the spectacular growth of the Latino population over the past decade, Latinos continued to be marginalized on the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN in 2001, according to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists seventh annual Network Brownout Report released today.
The report found that out of approximately 16,000 stories that aired in 2001, only 99 (0.62 percent) were about Latinos. In 2000, out of 16,000 stories, only 84 (0.53 percent) were about Latinos.
"The network’s dismal record of covering the nation’s fastest-growing minority group undermines the information needs of all U.S. residents and distorts the public discourse so necessary for any democratic society," said NAHJ President Juan Gonzalez, a columnist with the New York Daily News.
For the second consecutive year, the protests over the military bombings in Vieques Island in Puerto Rico was the largest story topic, with 25 stories. After Vieques, the largest story topics were government (15), migration (11) and sports (11).
The report found significant improvement in the percentage of Latinos interviewed in Latino-related stories. Of the 99 stories about Latinos that aired, 67 (67.6 percent) featured interviews with Latinos. In 2001, out of 84 stories, 31 (24.4 percent) featured interviews with Latinos.
For the second consecutive year, the Network Brownout Report included a qualitative analysis of Latino-related news stories. It found that stories about Latinos frequently used the image of the border to suggest a divide between the Latino and non-Latino populations and to define Latinos as illegal immigrants.
Latino are the fastest-growing ethnic or racial group in the country and currently make up 12.5 percent of the U.S. population. The Latino population grew by 57.9 percent since1990 to 35.3 million.
NAHJ believes that the lack of newsroom diversity is a major reason why there continues to be a brownout of Latinos on the evening news. But NAHJ has no idea how many Latinos work at the networks.
"Network jobs are among the most important and coveted positions in television, yet we have no regular public survey similar to those from the Radio-Television News Directors Association or from the American Society of Newspaper Editors that monitors how well the networks are doing when it comes to diversity," said Gonzalez. "We urge the network news chiefs to adopt the same openness about their employment record that the majority of local television and radio stations have been practicing for years."
Other significant quantitative analysis findings:
- Latino-related stories accounted for just 3.98 hours (0.55 percent) of the approximate 728 hours of news broadcasted by the networks.
- Latino-related stories increased in length from an average of one minute and fifty seconds in 2000 to two minutes and 25 seconds in 2001.
- The controversy over the military bombings of Vieques Island in Puerto Rico was the most frequently covered topic for the second consecutive year, with 25 stories.
- While the controversy about Elián González was a major story topic in the 2000 study, stories about him almost vanished from media coverage in 2001. This year’s report found only six stories dealing with either Cuban Americans or Elián. In 2000, a total of 348 stories were devoted to Elián.
- CNN’s Maria Hinojosa and CBS’s Vince González were the only Latinos to cover Latino-related stories.
- Cities with large Latino populations continued to be underrepresented as locations where Latino-related stories originated. The greatest number of stories originated in Washington, D.C. (22).
Other significant qualitative study findings:
- There was a disproportionate number of stories that portrayed Latinos living in "ghettos."
- News stories on Latinos frequently used the image of the border to suggest a divide between the Latino and non-Latino populations and to define Latinos as illegal immigrants.
- The stereotypical use of cultural artifacts and forms, such as music and food, continued to be a key device used by the networks to contextualize Latinos.
- Stories portrayed Vieques Island residents as violence prone rebels who cut fences, invaded shooting ranges, and screamed at the military, without much explanation for their reasons for protesting.
Network Brownout Report Conclusion:
- The nation’s 35 million Latinos are still being relegated to the margins of U.S. news consciousness by ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN.
- This year’s report found a marked improvement in the percentage of Latino-related stories that featured interviews with Latinos.
- NAHJ believes that the lack of newsroom diversity is a major reason why there continues to be a brownout of Latinos on the evening news.
- NAHJ calls on the news chiefs at ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox to participate in the annual RTNDA survey.
The report was prepared by Serafín Méndez-Méndez, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn., and Diane Alverio, a communication consultant and co-owner of Baldwin/Alverio Media Marketing, a media research, marketing and public relations firm. Alverio is also a past president of NAHJ.
With 1,700 members, NAHJ is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the newsroom.
Please visit NAHJ’s Web site at www.nahj.org to print out a copy of the report or call NAHJ at 202-662-7143 if you like it faxed.
