Latinos often marginalized in media, editor says
by Leigh Munsil

published on Monday, September 24, 2007

The Latino community wants to be known for more than illegal immigration, a panel of journalists said Saturday at the Media Coverage of Latino Issues panel at ASU.

The panel met at the Lattie F. Coor Hall Saturday morning and featured Spanish- and English-speaking media experts in print, radio and television.

Christopher Callahan, dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, welcomed what he called an "all-star" panel of experts and the dozens of students and community members in attendance.

"By and large, coverage in the mainstream media of Latino issues is about immigration. We need to get beyond that one-point issue," Callahan said.

And even though the event's tagline was, "It's Not Only Immigration," the panelists spent most of the morning talking about just that.

Gilbert Bailon, president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and editor of Al DÃ*a, the leading Spanish-language daily newspaper in North Texas, gave the morning's keynote address.

The language and cultural gap between Spanish and English speakers is widening despite the prevalence of Latinos in the United States, Bailon said.

"Latinos are more influential … than ever before, but are often omitted, marginalized and stereotyped in the media," he said. "This is not an isolated trend."

One trend that Bailon wants to see changed is the use of the word "illegals" as a noun.

"It's a dehumanizing way to address people," he said. "Coming to this country without papers is not a criminal offense. It's a civil offense. Be careful when you use such terminology."

Griselda Nevarez, a freshman journalism student, volunteered at the event.
The panel's discussion "represented Latino issues very well," Nevarez said.

The Latino community is not portrayed accurately in the media, she said.

"Even in The State Press there's a lot of negativity," Nevarez said. "It's not just about immigration."

Ashley Lange, a public relations sophomore, heard about the event through an e-mail sent out by the Cronkite School.

"I thought that the panel seemed to be accurate, but I didn't think it was groundbreaking," Lange said. "I didn't hear anything that I hadn't heard before."

The largest audience reaction of the event was a burst of applause when Jeff Farias, a Talk Radio Host for KPHX 1480 Radio, verbalized his support for ASU President Michael Crow's decision to give privately funded scholarships to undocumented students.

"It's our obligation to educate the people living here," Farias said.

Proposition 300, which passed overwhelmingly in November of 2006, requires undocumented students to pay out-of-state tuition and denies taxpayer-funded scholarships to non-citizens, but the measure did not address private scholarships.

Nevarez said she agrees with Crow's decision.

"He's looking past all the negativity and he's looking at the student as a person who has ambitions and wants to better their lives," Nevarez said. "I applaud him for that."

Some critics believe that while Crow isn't technically breaking the law by giving out private scholarships to illegal immigrants, he is disregarding the voters' wishes.

"He might be violating the spirit of the law," Lange said, "but he's making a decision that you can't argue with because it's private money."

Reach the reporter at: leigh.munsil@asu.edu.

http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/2007/ ... ews/701900