SEATTLE, -- Less than one percent of all news stories
aired on the network news (ABC, CBS and NBC) in 1998 were about Hispanics,
according to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists fourth annual
"Network Brownout" report released during the UNITY '99 convention.
The percentage of Latino-related stories which aired in 1998 amounts to
118 out of a total of 12,000 news stories produced.
The report found greater diversity in Latino-related story topics. The
topics of crime, immigration and affirmative action made up 41 percent of
all Latino-related stories in 1998 compared to more than 66 percent in 1997.
In 1998, the greatest number of Latino-related stories fell under the
category of politics while stories about health and safety and sports
increased significantly from 1997.
The report found the number of Hispanic experts interviewed increased from
seven in 1997 to 15 in 1998. In 1996, no Hispanic experts were interviewed.
"My hope is that this year's increase in the number of stories portraying
Latinos positively is the beginning of an upward trend," said NAHJ President
Nancy Baca. "However, with the rapid growth of this country's Hispanic
population, there continues to be a need for more stories that accurately
reflect the diversity that exist within the Hispanic community nationwide."
Cecilia Alvear, NAHJ's vice president of broadcast, added, "The good news
is there is greater variety of stories about Latinos and an increase in the
number of Hispanic experts quoted in new stories. The bad news is only one
percent of network news coverage is devoted to Latinos which means there is a
lot of work to be done."
Source: Unity '99: Journalists of Color (www.unity99.org)
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Journalists attending the Unity '99 Convention (www.unity99.org) to be held
in
Seattle, Washington this coming week -- be sure to drop by our booth (# 734)
with your resume!
We look forward to seeing you!
Enrique Gili
Hispanic American Village
The Minorities Job Bank
http://www.minorities-jb.com/hispanic.htm