Thread: S. FLA: Niche Newspapers Are Survival Guides for Immigrants

Posted on Fri., Sep. 25, 2009
Niche newspapers serve as survival guides for immigrants
BY LAURA FIGUEROA
lfigueroa@MiamiHerald.com

Come publication day, Jorge Moreira Nunes is use to having a knock or two at his Deerfield Beach office door. For 10 years, Nunes has published AcheiUSA -- a Portuguese language newspaper catering to South Florida's Brazilian community.

``They come here asking for help with immigration questions, or sometimes they are unsure if they should report something to the police,'' Nunes said.

And though his background is in journalism, Nunes doesn't turn anyone away. It's why he founded AcheiUSA -- the name means ``I Found'' -- he wanted his fellow Brazilians to find the resources they needed in their new homeland.

``We wanted this to be the paper where Brazilians could come to find out about their community. Anyone can grab news from Brazil over the Internet, but we wanted to specialize in what was happening among the Brazilian community here in South Florida.''

AcheiUSA is one of more than two dozen niche publications catering to South Florida's diverse immigrant groups from Latin America to the Caribbean.

From the Lauderhill-based The Caribbean-American Commentary to the Miami Beach-based Brazilian paper El Paracaidista, the publications not only offer a touchstone as to what's going on back home, but many serve as guides for newly arrived immigrants who use the paper's contents to find out about social service programs and immigration updates.

``Its like the link between two worlds,'' said Monica Cubides, of Doral, an avid reader of the weekly Spanish paper Venezuela al DÃ*a. ``You find out about what's going home, but you also find out about the great things the Venezuelans here in South Florida are doing.''

VITAL INFORMATION

Venezuela al DÃ*a was started 14 years ago by Manuel Corao, a retired Venezuelan journalist who moved to the Doral area.

``We saw that the Venezuelans coming to this area were no longer just coming here for vacation or business, but to stay,'' Corao said. ``Yes, they want to know what's going on back home, but we also thought it was important to fill them in on their rights as an immigrant, the different professional work opportunities, and which networking events they could meet fellow Venezuelan professionals.''

The Doral-based paper has grown from printing 5,000 copies weekly to distributing 20,000 copies across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. It has also started producing editions in Orlando and Venezuela.

``The concerns that a Venezuelan has may not be the same as those of a Central American,'' said Corao, who serves as editor-in-chief. ``Smaller papers are able to speak specifically to a group. It's like reading a letter from a friend trying to fill you in on all the news and guide you in a new country.''

Providing a ``survival guide'' to new Latin American immigrants is the reason Ira Guevara and Cynthia Zak, a former journalist from Argentina, founded El Paracaidista, The Parachuter.

Printed in Spanish, the Miami Beach-based paper not only offers immigration news, but also updates on certification classes and other educational opportunities.

``There's no reason that someone who was a chemical engineer back in their country should be washing dishes,'' Guevara said. ``If you were a pharmacist in your country, why are you selling hamburgers here? We wanted to provide a source of information where people knew what resources were available to them so that they can reenter the professional world.''

POSITIVE IMAGE

Aside from offering insight into work and education, many turn to the papers to read about the accomplishments of their countrymen.

``It seems the only time the mainstream media covers our community is if someone dies or is arrested,'' said Rovan G. Locke, publisher of the Caribbean-American Commentary, a monthly paper distributed throughout Broward County.

``That's why the community turns to papers like ours,'' Locke said. ``We highlight the accomplishments of local Caribbeans. We elevate the discussion on current affairs by offering analysis of the news.''

A recent publication asked readers to weigh in on whether Jamaicans abroad should have the right to vote in the country's general elections alongside news of the Miss Black USA pageant.

While the newspaper industry as a whole has weathered tough financial times in the past couple years, a March 2009 study by the National Newspaper Association and the Suburban Newspaper Association found smaller community newspapers have fared better.

``People are always going to live their lives in the outside world, not just the Internet,'' Guevara said. ``They are always going to stop at the cafeteria for lunch, at the supermarket to pick up food, at the local church, and there they will find us. The Internet is a great tool and has helped us reach people outside of Florida, but at the end of the day most of our readers prefer picking us up and reading us while they are outdoors.''

Back at the Deerfield Beach offices of AcheiUSA, Nunes sits in his office lined with posters of famous Brazilian landmarks. His deadline is looming and there are decisions to be made -- where should he run the story about the Broward sheriff's deputy accused of molesting undocumented immigrants? Yet despite the stresses of deadline, Nunes remains calm. ``I feel like our paper is helping people.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward ... 52461.html

where should he run the story about the Broward sheriff's deputy accused of molesting undocumented immigrants?

so which is it?

They come here asking for help with immigration questions

are they legal or illegal?
and another one that throws me is this section

It seems the only time the mainstream media covers our community is if someone dies or is arrested

so who is right? we complain about the media not telling the truth about illegal aliens and this guy says, that is all, that is printed about them.