Latinos woefully underrepresented in U.S. media, panelists say

By Natalie Cortes
freedomforum.org

10.08.01

Printer-friendly page

ARLINGTON, Va. — Even though diversity is at the forefront of the public consciousness, the largest minority group in the country is still underrepresented in the U.S. news and entertainment media, the president of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts says.

According the 2000 Census, Latinos make up 12% of the U.S. population. Yet on prime-time television they represent 2% of the characters, down from 3% during the 1999 season. Of that 2%, about half were considered primary roles.

“That means that almost less than one percent of the roles on TV in prime-time network television are valuable roles that teach us something about Latinos and are real character portrayals from this community,” said Felix Sanchez, NHFA president.

Those statistics are part of a new report, “Prime Time for Latinos,” which was released by Sanchez’s organization. Sanchez spoke at the Newseum on Sept. 25 during a panel discussion on how the news and entertainment media portray Hispanics.

Actor Esai Morales of “NYPD Blue” said most writers and producers of television programs didn’t understand Hispanic culture. “The networks don’t want to step on toes. They don’t want to go in an area where they don’t feel that familiar and make mistakes,” he said.

According the NHFA, the lack of Latinos in front of the camera has led to stereotyping, with Hispanics portrayed mostly as service workers or criminals.

Morales said his new role as Lt. Tony Rodriguez is one of the few exceptions. “He’s a person of integrity and he’s a person who is to be respected, and I rarely find that kind of character when I go out there … auditioning for different characters.”

Not having a strong Hispanic presence on prime-time network television, Sanchez said, has long-lasting effects on how Hispanic youth perceive themselves and how the rest of society perceives Latinos.

“What happens is, there’s no expectation within our own community that we should be portrayed and there’s no expectation outside of our community that we belong,” he said. “So the issue of failure to portray means that we have a lack of identity within the national consciousness.”

The panelists also talked about the small number of Latinos in television newsrooms and the impact that scarcity has on news coverage.

ABC News correspondent and anchor Elizabeth Vargas emphasized the need to show Hispanics and other minorities in stories that go beyond the crime beat, where minorities are usually seen in handcuffs.

“It’s equally important when you’re doing a story on the latest medical breakthrough to go find a minority doctor to interview to show that, indeed, blacks and Hispanics are well represented in the successful, affluent, educated parts of our society,” she said.

The Washington Post’s Dorothy Gilliam said diversity was also lacking among the country’s print media. “On the newspaper staffs, eighty-eight percent of the reporters are white. And so the question becomes, Can ... they truly reflect the reality of America? My answer is no.”

Newspapers need people of color in management positions, Gilliam said. “No matter how [well-meaning] a white editor could be, very often he or she just cannot walk in the shoes and know the complexity of another community.”

But, Vargas cautioned, it also harms Hispanic reporters to be pigeonholed into covering stories that focus exclusively on their communities.

“For the Hispanic community and for the non-Hispanic community, the best thing is to see a Hispanic reporter leading the newscast, anchoring the newscast, executive-producing the newscast and bringing their life experience to the table there,” she said.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Sanchez said the need for television to reflect the diversity of society is greater than ever.

“So many Arab-Americans are understanding exactly the kind of issue that we have been discussing for a very long time, that the absence of information of people who look different creates suspicion and creates doubt about who that person is and [whether] they belong in America and in the mainstream of American life.”

Morales added, “Our children, ourselves, we’re gonna go out to these wars that are being championed every single day. … We’re gonna give our lives, our blood. … But if we don’t have the respect of being shown properly and fairly in the most powerful educational and communications tool on earth, then it’s counterproductive to the psyche of our national unity.”

The program, taped by the Close-up Foundation, was one of a series at the Newseum to mark Hispanic Heritage Month.

Related

In New York and elsewhere, ethnic press blossoms as diversity grows
Analysis ‘If you’re going to be a well-rounded person, you have to read your ethnic newspaper and a daily newspaper.’  06.05.01

Hispanics like Univision's reporting style, anchor says
Maria Elena Salinas says Spanish-language news involves more than just covering Latino communities.  10.19.01

Retention issues fuel decline in newspaper newsroom diversity
Analysis ASNE releases annual survey showing lower percentages of journalists of color at daily newspapers.  04.07.01

Specialized newspapers serve central Iowa's growing Latino population
Iowa Journalist: Many Latino immigrants depend on Hispanic newspapers to provide pertinent information in Spanish  01.24.03