LA Observed: Los Angeles media, politics and sense of place since 2003
Photos at LA Observed
LA Biz Observed • Native Intelligence • Blogs
Home • Authors • Archives • Feedback • Links • About • Contact • RSS

Email the editor
Submit for posting (guidelines)

LAT and Latino Los Angeles
Kevin Roderick • Bio • Email

• Daniel Hernandez' piece in the LA Weekly on Latinos and the L.A. Times hits the mark in a central thesis: the newspaper has never adequately covered the Latino population. I take issue, however, with Hernandez’ characterization of the Latino Initiative. He gets carried away with some lively quotes contained in the archives of the late Frank del Olmo, and he misses the point. Regardless of the internal bickering and second-guessing among staff members—much of it par for the course in a newsroom setting--the Latino Initiative produced some first-rate coverage.

For example, Hector Tobar became a roving national correspondent and wrote fascinating, groundbreaking stories about the growing Latino presence in the Deep South and in the nation’s heartland. Because of the Latino Initiative, Del Olmo and I argued successfully for restoring the labor beat, long dormant at the Times. A beat covering small businesses was added along with 10 other coverage areas. Outstanding arts coverage and profiles of Mexican Americans, Salvadorans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans and others finding their niche in L.A. were featured.

Was the Latino Initiative perfect in concept and execution? No. But for a short period, it provided an extraordinary level and quality of coverage. And to me the coverage provided to the reader—not whether an initiative has unanimous consent in the newsroom—is the bottom line.

I would argue that many of the efforts launched at the Times to enhance coverage of local Latino communities were successful editorially. But because of short-sighted shifts in priorities and changes in editors or publishers, the efforts languished and momentum ground to a halt.

Clearly, the responsibility for news coverage of Mexican Americans and other Latinos—who together make up half of L.A.’s population—should fall upon the entire staff. But Latino reporters, photographers and editors are a critical resource in that mission. As Hernandez points out, the number of Times staff members of Latino origin is declining--down to 6%---even as the Latino population surges in the city and nation. The number of African American journalists on the newspaper is also decreasing. The newsroom total of journalists of color has dipped from nearly 21% to about 18%. As an advocate for greater diversity in staffing and coverage, I found those declines painful as I exited the Times after a 35-year career there.

I hope that things will change for the better and that Latinos and all communities will get the newspaper coverage they deserve. That challenge now is in the hands of the new Tribune-appointed publisher and editor.

Frank O. Sotomayor

A longtime editor at the Los Angeles Times, Sotomayor took a voluntary buyout in March and now is a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism.

December 22, 2006 8:22 AM • Native Intelligence • Email the editor
 

© 2003-2008   •  About LA Observed  •  Contact the editor
LA Observed main blog
8:31 PM Thu | Lakers acquire Steve Nash from the Suns
8:08 PM Thu | Journo jumps from Daily Journal to Warren Olney
11:50 PM Wed | Protester who smacked LAPD cop sentenced to jail
11:31 PM Wed | Michael J. Ybarra, journalist was 45
10:21 AM Tue | Andy Griffith, actor was 86
LA Biz Observed
Mark Lacter funeral services
2:07 PM Sat | The funeral for Mark Lacter will be held Sunday, Nov. 24 at 12 noon at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles 90045. Reception to follow.
Business Guides for Companies – Effective business articles that will improve your business.
How Does OSHA 30 Card Help You Get a Job?
Business Finance

How Does OSHA 30 Card Help You Get a Job?

Editor

How Does OSHA 30 Card Help You Get a Job? About an OSHA Card The United States Department of Labor (DOL) distributes OSHA cards to students who complete an OSHA Outreach Training Program course. This online safety training program is designed to teach employees to spot and prevent common workplace hazards. For specific employment positions…

Choosing the Right Coconut Charcoal Factory in Indonesia
Business Industrials

Choosing the Right Coconut Charcoal Factory in Indonesia

Editor

Are you looking for a reliable coconut charcoal factory in Indonesia but don’t know where to begin your search? You’re not alone. For hookah wholesalers, charcoal importers and shisha café owners who need to ensure the highest-quality products on their shelves or at their tables, finding an Indonesian factory they can trust is a daunting…

ADA Compliant Fine And How to Avoid It
Technology

ADA Compliant Fine And How to Avoid It

Editor

ADA Compliant Fine And How to Avoid It Digital content tends to be ubiquitous, but it is not universally accessible. In the modern world, compliance with the requirements indicated in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are critical.   Although it is clear that the accessibility…

Suggested

Jenny Burman
Thursday Diary, missing LA
Before I lived in Echo Park, there was a tiny 1920s bungalow-cottage-standalone house on N. Occidental in Silver Lake. I...
Here in Malibu
Indecisive
I don't know why it's taking me so long to choose the new platform for this blog. Well, that's not...
Politics at LA Observed
SB 50: It will be a fight to remember
The Philosopher Mayor
USC's Crosstown: Saving L.A. by the numbers
Supervisor Barger worries about the homeless
Galperin's numbers fall short of telling homeless story
All posts in Politics
Media at LA Observed
Can Spectrum News 1 capture diverse L.A?
My Herald Examiner days
Goodbye, Downtown L.A.: One heck of a ride comes to an end
Jury speaks loudly in Simers v. The Los Angeles Times
A top LA Times editor says task is "daunting"
Media people • LA Times • Magazines