Latino Journalists and Newsroom Parity

By: Rafael Olmeda I attended the 24th convention of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) in Florida earlier this month in four roles. I was myself, a reporter turned editor from the Bronx revisiting old friends and ready to learn and grow professionally while having a little bit of fun. I was the South Florida Sun-Sentinel assistant city editor looking for candidates to fill jobs in my newsroom. I was the adjunct professor at Florida International University, touting my school's opportunities and dedication to diversity. And most noticeably, I was the sole candidate for the presidency of NAHJ.

I walked into my first NAHJ convention in 1996 in Chicago. Somehow, I had made it into the news business at the New York Daily News without first connecting with NAHJ. I didn't even spend a great deal of time thinking of myself as Hispanic. I was a proud individualist, one who took his heritage for granted.

At the following year's conference, I attended a panel on whether there is a single Latino identity. A young writer named Junot Diaz spoke about his desire to be perceived as an individual. But he went on to note that whenever he walked into a room, people saw the Latino first.

It's a profound truth. When we walk into a room, we walk in with all the glory, and all the baggage, that comes with the label of "Hispanic." It is incumbent upon us as journalists to make sure the U.S. media tell the whole story of our people and our struggles - a story that includes our contributions to U.S. society, not just the burdens we, as any group, may sometimes represent.

Through NAHJ, I first realized that I was a part of something much larger than myself, in terms of being both a Hispanic and a journalist. I don't have NAHJ to thank directly for landing me my first job, but I thank NAHJ for something far more profound. NAHJ made me a Latino, and for that I will be forever grateful.

The world of professional journalism is increasingly insecure for those of us employed within it. News organizations are rightly seen as businesses, and that reality creates a situation that, coupled with high expectations from investors, can break up a successful media chain in a matter of months. We hear constant talk of layoffs and buyouts, and we worry about the security of our jobs.

The Latino journalist now lives in this world, and the challenge to diversity could not be more profound. Thirty years ago, the American Society of Newspaper Editors committed itself to seeing newsroom parity by the year 2000. As that year approached, they extended their deadline -- by another 25 years.

I firmly believe that parity is an achievable goal. Newsrooms can, should and will eventually reflect the communities they serve. With the numbers of Latinos expected to grow year after year in the United States, the news media will eventually have no choice but to hire us in newsroom roles from editorial assistants to editors-in-chief.

But I question whether that can happen, even if the numbers demand it, when the Latino high school dropout rate remains twice the national average.

NAHJ needs to do something about that if our mission is to be fulfilled. I'm going to call for the creation of an NAHJ 100 mentoring program, a three-year commitment to making a dent in the Latino high school dropout rate. I don't know how much it will change the numbers, but I firmly believe it will change lives -- and hopefully, many of those students will be inspired and become journalists themselves.