Media Matter, a progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media, is asking mainstream news networks where the Latinos are.
Cristina Lopez, a researcher at Media Matters discusses her findings with DIVERGE.
Why was this research important to do?
This research is important because it’s not enough to just have a hunch that media needs to work on the inclusion of Latinos and other ethnic groups: we need to have data to demonstrate the real problem if we want to move towards change. It’s important because there are policies that affect some demographic groups disproportionately and in very personal ways, so for underrepresented people of color seeing these issues discussed on TV without anyone that looks like us or can relate to the issues in ways similar ours, makes the conversations feel incomplete.Finally, It is important to note that the exclusion of Latinos in the news is occurring in an election cycle in which we are very much the target of awful rhetoric. It is unfortunate that at a time when our community is under attack, we are virtually absent from news media, unable to contextualize or provide our perspective.
Did one channel do a better job than the others in having Latinos cover issues that concerned them?
Not really, the raw numbers are really grim. If you analyze the rate of guests who were Latino, MSNBC had a little edge because they had fewer guests over all, so the percentage of Latinos discussing Curiel was higher even when they invited fewer Latinos than CNN or Fox News.
What were some of the key findings of this study?
First of all — and the key findings have to be put in context with other research we’ve done at Media Matters — it confirms a pattern we were already seeing in other studies, showing that Latinos are excluded from the main political conversations. Second, we found that the few Latinos that do appear as guests on cable news tend to be siloed to the one topic of immigration, since they’re not invited to be a part of discussions in which they are protagonists, like the racist attacks against Judge Curiel’s Mexican ethnicity, in the case of our most recent study, or the aftermath of the Orlando gay club Pulse massacre where we found that none of the three cable networks hosted a significant number of Hispanic or Muslim guests.
Have campaigns like #askmemas helped?
Yes, in the sense that they’re raising awareness in the community that has to speak up. It puts some of the onus of fighting for inclusion on the community, and we’d like to think it empowers Latinos to raise their voices. Latino Rebels started this online campaign following the publication of our study showing Latinos are only asked about the single issue of immigration. Hopefully, this and upcoming studies about this issue can continue to empower allies and activist groups to continue to demand change.
How can executives help change this?
News media executives can help change this by proactively reaching out to underrepresented demographics when deciding who to ask for commentary and by considering the different angles that could change the way a story is told. But also, and equally important, by fixing exclusion inside of the house (Media is overwhelmingly white) which hurts, most obviously, diversity and representation, but also, news story accuracy.
I noticed that you said immigration was the only issue where latinos were asked to speak- why is that? Are there other similar issues? Why is that the only issue?
There are many reasons. In a way, the most obvious one is stereotyping. Latinos are often reduced to the issue of immigration, regardless of whether they themselves immigrated or not. Other reasons, more benevolent perhaps, include the fact that many people don’t necessarily know the data that shows that while Latinos do care deeply about immigration because of their personal connection to it, they care about other policy areas equally as much: jobs, wages, health care, education. What this shows is that media are not seeing Latinos as deep, multidimensional citizens, capable of strong views and opinions on more than one topic at the same time.
Since this report, has a new initiative started to help make a difference?
We are committed to investing more time and resources to this line of research, specifically to arm activists and allies with the data they need to approach decision makers in the news industry. Moving forward, we will continue to shed light on this issue by paying close attention to both how Latinos are represented on cable news networks and by highlighting important Latino voices on Hispanic media.
Why are Latino voices key in the media? Latinos are key in the media in the same way every other group is key in the media: in the way that they are all part of the shared experience, part of the social fabric of America. It’s about representation. It doesn’t have to be Latinos OR other demographic minorities or ethnic groups. It should be Latinos AND others. What you see in the streets of America should be what you see your TV screen. Latinos are 17 percent of the US population, and the second fastest growing demographic, but you wouldn’t know that by watching cable news.
How can others help contribute to making a difference?
Awareness is key in general. But specifically, action by those who make decisions and commitment to getting members of underrepresented groups to sit at the table and be in the room.
Additional thoughts?
We’ll continue to monitor improvement and the state of representation in the media. For now, news networks have a lot of work to do.
