NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS

JUNE 2008

NOTICIAS
WANTED:
A FEW GOOD
CANDIDATES
By Gustavo Reveles Acosta
El Paso Times
The National Association of
Hispanic Journalists will elect
new board members, and
officials encourage members to
take on leadership roles and run
for one of the 11 positions that
will be voted on during UNITY
2008 in Chicago
  The annual election also will
include voting on several bylaw
changes that will incorporate the
chapter structure into NAHJ’s
rules.
  “As jour nalists, we help
e d u c a te t h e p u b l i c o n t h e
impor tance of voting (and)
inspire participation in the
public political process,” said
NAHJ President Rafael Olmeda,
an online editor for the South
Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort
Lauderdale. “It’s important that
we exercise our right to vote on
the candidates and issues that
are important to NAHJ.
  “I’d like to encourage anyone
who cares about the future of
the NAHJ to r un for the
positions on the board of
directors. Board service is not
only personally and
professionally rewarding, but
also it is also crucial in a time of
great need in our industry.”
   Continued on Page 5  members. Candidates must submit
UNITY offers presidential
candidates and much more
Teresa Puente, Chicago Sun Times; Unity President Karen Lincoln Michel,
Green Bay Press-Gazette; and NAHJ student members from Columbia
College in Chicago. All mixed and mingled with top journalists at the
National Mexican Art Museum in Chicago. See story on Page 6.
The largest gathering of Registration info
journalists of color takes place next On-site registration (after June 13)
month at UNITY ’08 Convention in Member: $575
Chicago. Student member: $275
Non-member: $800
Jo i n   N A H J Student non-member: $450
members and our Spouse/partner: $250 (Banquet ticket
sister organizations: not included.)   
the Asian American
Jo u r n a l i s t s
I l l i n o i s ) a n d Jo h n Mc Ca i n ( R-
Association, the
Arizona) will participate in a live
N a t i o n a l
broadcast discussion on July 24. Be in
Association of Black
the audience for this historic evening
Journalists and the Native American
when UNITY is seen across the
Journalists Association for the July
country on prime time.
23-27 event. To register, visit: http://
www.2008unity.org/registration.cfm. NAHJ will also be electing a new
president, as well as nine other board
Pr e s u m p t i v e presidential
nominees Senators Barack Obama (D-
Continued on Page 8

www.nahj.org
PAGE 1
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Compiled from news reports
Mike Fannin, 41, was recently
named the Kansas City Star’s new editor.
Fannin was managing editor of the sports
and features departments for the last two
years. The Star becomes the largest-
circulation U.S. newspaper with a
Hispanic editor. Fannin is also president
of the Associated Press Sports Editors and
is the first Hispanic to hold that position.
NAHJ member Tim Chavez, former
columnist at the Gannett-owned
Tennessean newspaper in Nashville,
Tenn., before being laid off as he battled
cancer a few months ago, now has a
political blog called Political Salsa. You
can read it at
www.politicalsalsa.blogspot.com
NAHJ member Laura Castañeda,
independent San Diego-based TV
journalist, has produced a documentary,
called, “Devil’s Breath: Border Crossers
Caught in San Diego’s Wildfires.”  This
documentary tells how the October 2007
wildfires in San Diego affected three
groups of migrants heading north from
México. It formally aired on May 19, at
http://www.ucsd.tv/devilsbreath
Among those taking the buyouts at the
Washington Post are Marie Arana, editor
of the Post's Book World section; reporter
Sylvia Moreno; and Don Podesta,
assistant managing editor for copy desks;
Alfredo Corchado of The Dallas
Morning News was among 14 U.S.
journalists named recently to the next
Nieman journalism fellowship class at
Harvard University. Corchado will study
the fallout of organized crime on Latin
America's young, fragile democracies,
particularly the impact on the freedom of
the press and consequences for the United
States. The Nieman program, established
in 1938, is the world's oldest mid-career
fellowship for journalists.
George de Lama, 51, recently
announced he is stepping down as
managing editor for news at the Chicago
Tribune to explore other options. De
Lama was at the Tribune for 30 years,
starting as a summer intern.
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
A chat with NAHJ’s
new membership director 
  NAHJ’s new membership director is
Rhadames Avila. He is 49 and a native of the
Dominican Republic and a nationalized U.S.
citizen. Avila, who is married, came to the U.S. in
1980. He earned a bachelor’s degree in
Computer Information Sciences at Strayer
University in Arlington, Va.
  Before joining NAHJ, he worked for 13 years as office assistant
for the Pan American Health Organization/World Health
Organization (PAHO/WHO). From 1984 thru 1996, he was a
freelance entertainment editor for various Spanish newspapers in
Washington, D.C. (El Latino, La Nacion, La Voz Independiente,
Crónica, El Comercio), New York (El Globo Newspaper) and
Florida (El País). He also hosted a radio show called, "El Gobierno
Sabatino". His program aired Saturdays on Spanish-language radio
stations in the D.C. area.
We have five questions for Avila:
1. What are some of your goals/ideas for raising NAHJ membership?
As of today we have about 2,000 active members, and about 4,500 expired or
prospective members. One of my main goals is to work closely with current
chapters and potential chapters to recruit members and reverse those numbers.
I will become the facilitator to provide them with all the necessary resources
and/or tools to help them to complete their mission.
2. What are some challenges that NAHJ faces regarding membership?
There are many colleagues out there willing to be NAHJ members, but the
actual economic situation is not helping. In addition, we need to create more
effective ways to reach out and let the student journalists and professional
journalists understand that we are here to support them, to work closely with
them. The best way everyone can benefit is by becoming NAHJ members.
3. Since joining NAHJ, what question are you most often asked?
Well, I have only been here for about two weeks. Most calls and e-mails are
related to log-in problems, how to register for the upcoming UNITY ’08
Convention, and what is the process to create a chapter.
4. What is the best time to reach you?
I am in my office Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern time. My
office number is 202-662-7460.
5. Anything you’d like to say?
As I already mentioned, NAHJ is a very important nonprofit entity that provides
various benefits and opportunities to its members. There are not many
organizations out there that could offer so much for just $55 in annual fees. I
encourage every single student journalist, professional journalist, and anybody
who would like to support our goals, to join us as soon as possible. Their
membership will provide us with the necessary resources to fulfill our goals and
services, such as: Regional workshops and seminars, national convention and
career expo, mid-career and professional development programs, Online job
bank, journalism awards, internships and fellowships, student journalism
workshops, newsletter, networking, etc.
PAGE 2
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
2008 HALL OF FAME CANDIDATES
The NAHJ board recently voted to induct three people into the Hall of Fame at this year’s gala on July 25 at
Unity 2008. This year’s inductees are:
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez
Assistant Professor,
School of Journalism,
University of Texas
Achievements: One of NAHJ's
most active founders; Creator of
NAHJ student newspaper project
The Latino Reporter; Among
those who spearheaded a national
movement in 2007 to protest the
exclusion of Latinos in the PBS
documentary THE WAR by Ken
Burns; Director of the U.S. Latino
& Latina World War II Oral
History Project based at the
University of Texas at Austin.
Nominated by: Gary Piña, Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, General At-
Large Officer for NAHJ
Her words:  “It's a great honor
to be among the previous Hall of
Famers -- folks like one of my
longtime mentors, Felix
Gutierrez. I look forward to
celebrating with my NAHJ
friends in July. I'm in Spain!!!”
National Association Executive Director
of Hispanic Journalists Iván Román
1000 National Press Building iroman@nahj.org
529 14th St., NW  
Washington, DC 20045-2001,
President
E-mail: nahj@nahj.org
Rafael Olmeda,
Phone: 202.662.7145
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Fax: 202.662.7144
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
Francisco P. Ramirez  Juan D. Gonzalez
Founder/Editor, columnist,
El Clamor Público, The New York Daily News
Los Angeles, 1855-1859. Achievements: One of the
founders of NAHJ and of
Achievements: Pioneering
UNITY; Former president of
Latino journalist and founding
NAHJ; Author; Launched the
editor Duis aute in voluptate veli of
Parity Project; Winner of the
L.A.'s first Spanish-language
Hispanic Heritage Leadership
newspaper in 1855 and an editor
Award in 2004; Strong advocate
and contributor to other
against media consolidation;
newspapers in the U.S. and
Nominated by: Cindy
Mexico through much of the
Rodriguez, freelance journalist,
latter half of the 19th century.
New York City and NAHJ vice
Forceful advocate for equal rights
president for print.
for people of all races in the years
His words: "I'm deeply honored
after the U.S. conquest of
by the NAHJ board's decision to
California.
include me in the Hall of Fame
Nominated by: Félix Gutiérrez,
with such terrific journalists as
professor, Annenberg School for
Maggie Rivas and Francisco
Communication at the University
Ramirez, given all the
of Southern California, longtime
extraordinary Latino journalists
advocate for diversity in news
both past and present who are
media.
perhaps more deserving of this
nomination than I."  
 
Vice President, Broadcast Noticias editor:
Gary Piña,
Manuel De La Rosa
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi 
Copy editor:
 
Veronica Garcia,
Vice President, Print
Los Angeles Times
Cindy Rodriguez,
freelance writer Designers: Michael Vega,
City of Fort Worth; Gary Piña
PAGE 3
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
Why not take a seat on the NAHJ board?
By Manuel De La Rosa
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi
Vice president-Broadcast
Wanted: Good men and
women to run for the NAHJ
Board of Directors.
  Every year, it happens. Time to
run for the board and here we are
trying to recruit people to run
for the NAHJ board. It falls on
the board to find folks to run.
  Remember two years ago, when
there were no contested races
except for the NAHJ Vice
President of Broadcast. It was
then our newly elected President
who vowed to not have that
happen again, but two years later,
we are in the same position.
  I can tell you from serving on
the board for several years it's not
always fun. I have been a regional
director for Region 8 and 5, along
with my current position of VP of
Broadcast (Yes, I was the one with
the contested race two years ago).
  We meet three times a year in
person and talk on a daily basis on
our blog about issues impacting
NAHJ, journalism and our culture.
It's not easy at times to deal with
the different personalities on the
board, but we manage to get along
and respect each other.
  Mind you, at times, we fight like
siblings; but for most part recent
board members have been
respectful of each other. I recall
being on boards where members
weren’t so civil.
  Then comes the annual
conference that is attended by the
majority of our membership or the
fundraising dinners, including the
NAHJ Scholarship Banquet in
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
New York City in February or the
Awards Dinner in the fall. During
those times, we hear it from all
sides: “Great event;”
“NAHJ is doing a great job;”
“You guys should be commended.”
  Of course, there are those who
criticize our decisions or say they
don't like this or that about the
organization. Some ask why we
separated the Awards dinner from
the conference. We explain that,
to raise more money, we chose to
remove this event from the
convention. We have raised a lot
of money in recent years by doing
this.
When we ask those most
critical of us to run for the NAHJ
Board, they go silent. Some tell
use they can’t run because of work
or other commitments. I can
understand that. I have a regular
day job; a job at home raising two candidates to run. It would be
lovely children and being a
husband; and then my NAHJ job.
Sure, we get some perks out of generation of NAHJ leaders.
it. We get to travel three times a
year to meet with other board
members without leaving the
room for two-and-a-half days.
Why do we do this? I believe it’s
because we want what's best for
this organization.
And that brings us back to
looking for people to run for the
board. The presidency is up for
grabs, along with all the other
officers’ positions. I am again
considering running for VP of
Broadcast and I hope we have
more contested races. So it’s time
for you to get involved and make a
difference; we need great leaders
to help us through the next two
years.
We’re going through a very
difficult era in journalism. We've
had major job cuts in print and
broadcast journalism. The idea of
doing more with less is impacting
our members and now we are
trying to provide our membership
with multimedia skills to help
them survive in this business.
Because donors are not giving
us as much money as in the past,
NAHJ’s financial picture is
uncertain, as is the Parity Project,
which was aimed at getting more
Latino journalists into print and
broadcast newsrooms. We have to
develop a strategic plan to prepare
for the changing world of
journalism.
Again, it's not an easy job
being on the NAHJ Board, but I
am sure we will find several good
great if new blood stepped
forward and became the next
What would you have to do:
you just need to get 25 current
NAHJ members to sign a petition
by June 18, (believe me that's a
task in itself with members busy
going from story to story or
meeting to meeting). Then comes
the elections at the Unity 2008
Convention.
I just hope we meet our goal
and have several contested races,
including my position of VP of
Broadcast. Good luck and if you
need a petition signed, just e-mail
me at mannydelarosa@yahoo.com
and I'll sign it for the sake of
electing the best leaders possible
for NAHJ.
PAGE 4
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
NAHJ elections on agenda at Unity
Continued "om Page 1
This year, members will vote on
the following positions on the board
of directors:
· President
· Vice President of Broadcast
· Vice President of Print
· Financial Officer
· Secretary
· General At-Large Officer
· Spanish Language At-Large Officer
· Online At-Large Officer
· Region 2 Director
· Region 4 Director
· Student Representative
In recent years, NAHJ elections
have suffered from apathy, with board
members being elected without
drawing an opponent. The current
NAHJ REGIONAL CONFERENCES
Region 2
   On May 3, about 80 people
filled the new, high-tech
graduate journalism school at
City University of New York in
Times Square for Region 2’s first
multimedia journalism
workshop.
  It was a huge success.
Though we had hoped to attract
40 to 50 attendees to the
workshop, so many signed up
that we were forced to tell
people that was no more space.
  Clearly, given the
transformation occurring in the
news industry, this topic is one
that has great appeal. And the
interest extends from journalists
just starting out to veterans.
— Diego Ribadeneria
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
board hopes members will be given
more options this year by attracting
several candidates to run for each
position.
  “Former board members who are
still in the field of journalism should
consider a presidential run,” Olmeda
said. “The last two presidential races
were uncontested. NAHJ deserves
better than that.”
  Board members are expected to
attend three annual meetings,
participate in conference calls, serve
on several committees and become
advocates of NAHJ as fund raisers
and representatives of the
organization.
  To run, potential candidates need
to be regular members in good
standing. The student representative
is required to be enrolled at a college
or university.
  To become an official candidate
 Region 5
More than 130 attended the
daylong Region 5 Conference on
Saturday, March 1, at Texas State
University in San Marcos.
  The conference began Friday,
Feb. 29, with a town hall meeting on
the upcoming elections, “What can
Brown do for you?.” The town hall
meeting was sponsored by State
Farm Insurance.
  On Saturday, the multimedia
for any position, members need to
gather the signatures of 25 members
in good standing who support their
candidacy. Signatures are due at the
NAHJ national offices by June 18.
  The bal lot also wil l include
changes to the bylaws that govern
NAHJ. The changes are meant to
bring to code the rules that allow for
the creation and administration of
professional and student chapters
nationwide.
  To view exact wording of the
proposed changes, please visit
www.nahj.org. For more information
on running for the NAHJ Board of
Directors, call the national office at
(202) 662-7145.
Gustavo Reveles Acosta is the City
Hall reporter for the El Paso Times and
the director of NAHJ’s Region 5, which
includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and
Arkansas.
Region 6
NAHJ members gathered for a
discussion at the Region 6 Conference
at the University of St. Thomas in
Minneapolis on April 5. About 75
professionals and students attended.
Also, job seekers met with potential
employers during the job fair.
Sponsors included KSTP-TV, WCCO-
TV, and State Farm Insurance.
sessions included podcasting,
blogging and digital video, along
with the traditional sessions
geared toward Spanish-language
media; broadcast and print media.  
   Gilbert Bailon, editorial page
editor for the St. Louis Post-
Dispatch, was the keynote speaker
at lunch. Bailon spoke about the
changing times and what tools
journalists need to survive in their
newsrooms. — Gary Piña
PAGE 5
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
Mixer builds
excitement
for UNITY ’08
in Chicago
Dozens of journalists and
students turned out at the National
Museum of Mexican Art, nestled near
Chicago’s Harrison Park in the
Latino Pilson neighborhood on a
Monday evening in April. All were
eager to learn more about this
UNITY Convention that's expected
to attract more than 10,000
journalists of color to the city in July.
  Top reporters, anchors, recruiters
and writers from Telemundo
Chicago, ABC 7, Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Sun-Times, Radio Arte and
students from Columbia College
were all there eating delicious
Mexican food from Tepatulco
Restaurante, listening to Latino
music, while talking about the
different workshops, and companies
looking to hire at the convention.   break from the stress of the newsroom. The students insisted
They also had a chance to register
online. NAHJ organizer Queta Bauer,
from Cultural Communications, had
two laptop stations available.
  UNITY President Karen Lincoln
Michal, from the Green Bay Press-
Gazette, and her husband Roberto,
an NAHJ member, drove more than
three hours from Madison, Wis., to
check out the pre-Unity registration
party. UNITY Executive Director
Onica Makwakwa also stopped by in
between meetings.
  One lucky NAHJ member walked
away with a $300 gift certificate for a
wine tasting experience from Sam's
Wines in Chicago.
Brandon Benavides
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
NEWS AND NOTES
FROM THE REGION 6 DIRECTOR
Well I’m happy to report, we’ve started to seek out
members for a NAHJ pro-chapter in the Twin Cities. We had
three people at our first meeting. We were very excited with the
turnout given it was our first meeting. After our lunch meeting,
the three of us decided to invite every Latino journalist we
know to a brunch at a popular Mexican
Restaurant in St. Paul’s Westside. Hopefully,
we’ll get at least 15 people. So if you’re in the
Twin Cities stop by Saturday, June 28 at 10
a.m. at Boca Chica in St. Paul.
Latino journalists in the Chicago area are also
trying to organize an NAHJ chapter. I’ve
been in contact with the president of the
Brandon Chicago Area Hispanic Journalists, Antonio
Benvavides
Olivo from the Chicago Tribune. His group
helped us with our Region 6 Pre-UNITY
Registration Party in Chicago. We started talking about making
that group an official NAHJ pro-chapter. Hopefully we can get
things organized by UNITY. Antonio says our event was the
most attended mixer they’ve had in years. We had about 50
people show up. I flew in from the Twin Cities for the mixer
and also visited with the students at Columbia College.  
They invited me to one of their Hispanic journalists
student meetings on campus. So there I was with 15 student
members in the middle of the orange hall, listening to their
plans for the semester. I felt like I was in college again … a nice
on taking me to dinner and paying for it. We went to this
delicious Mexican restaurant called Nuevo Leon in the Latino
neighborhood. The Mexican food was great! I thought I was
back home in San Antonio. And it was a reasonable price, for
the six of us it was less than 60 bucks. I helped with the tip
(I was once a poor college student too... I couldn’t let them pay
for everything).
And our regional conference on April 5 was a great success.  
About 75 professionals and students gathered at the University
of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. The Department of
Communication and Journalism was incredible! We had some
spirited discussions on covering Latinos caught up in Crimes:
when should journalists disclose someone’s legal status. My
station KSTP and parent company Hubbard Broadcasting were
fantastic. My boss was on a panel and several staff members
joined in too.
Hope to see you at UNITY in Chicago.
PAGE 6
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
JUNE 2008

It takes guacamole to make a student chapter

By Lourdes Vazquez
and Brandon A. Benavides
College life: cash-strapped, broke
and studying. How’s a student supposed
to pay for NAHJ membership dues
when they need the $25 for roman
noodles? Simple, guacamole.
The Hispanic Journalists of
Columbia College club started in
Chicago back in October 2006. A few
students got together and wanted to
start a journalism club for Latinos. The
organization sold guacamole to raise
money for their membership dues. 
But this was no ordinary guacamole, it
became well-known as "Sonia's World
Famous Guacamole" around campus.
With enough money for 15 student members, the NAHJ student members at Columbia College took
group began the process of becoming an official NAHJ Region 6 Director Brandon A. Benavides for a
NAHJ student chapter in March. But they didn’t night of great Mexican food in Chicago. Benavides
visited the student group during a two-day trip to
stop there. The students signed a petition asking for Chicago for NAHJ business.
a course that teaches students to report for Spanish-
language media.
artwork as well as articles in Spanish and English.
Seven students hopped on a mega-bus and With a new magazine at hand HJC has been
traveled from Chicago to Minneapolis to attend the marketing their new publication around campus. The
Region 6 Conference in April. There they learned magazine was released May 3 with the help of NAHJ
more about journalism and got career advice from member Elio Leturia, who is a graphic designer and
professionals working in the business. journalism professor at Columbia College.
The club writes a bilingual magazine Gandara graduated in May and left the magazine
every semester.  to Lourdes Vazquez as new editor-in-chief.
Former Vice President Sonia Ganadra helped Production for the next issue will begin August 1.
transition El Mestizo magazine to be one of the Lourdes is a NAHJ student member, and president of the
club’s projects. The magazine showcases student Hispanic Journalists of Columbia.

Out & About at UNITY: a GLBT after-party

Enjoy a fabulous night at the
theatre with your new GLBT friends
and allies. The Bailiwick Theatre is
one of the top GLBT performance
places in Chicago. No need to sit and
watch this performance, you're in the
spotlight.
Let your hair down and enjoy a free
A GLBT After-party
The Bailiwick Theatre
Friday, July 25 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
cocktail or two while snacking on
chips, salsa, and quesadillas. The first
200 people will get two drink tickets.
Don't miss the party bus! Meet in
front of the Hyatt Regency Chicago
and Sheraton Chicago Hotel and
Towers at 10 p.m. We'll drop you off
at the theatre and take you back.
The shuttle runs from 10 p.m. to 2
a.m. The Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
is on 1229 W. Belmont Avenue in
Chicago.

www.nahj.org
PAGE 7
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
NAHJ Poll Question: "Why are you attending the UNITY Conference?"
I'm really excited about Unity
Conference because I'm going to see
dear friends I’ve made over the years
at the NAHJ conferences, and to
make new friends. I'm excited
because we are going to have lot of
fun at the receptions, and because
Unity is unique. It gets together all of
us in one race, in one color, the color
of journalism and love for
communication.  I love Unity we’re
all together at the same table and
under the same roof. At Unity we are
all friends. I love Unity.
Marcela Toledo
Because it is important. As a print
journalist, times have gotten a lot
tougher and it becomes increasingly
important to provide support and
opportunities for minority
journalists. Also, Unity is a prime
opportunity to take a breath,
recharge and re-establish
relationships with fellow journalists.
Irvin B. Harrell,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Journalists of Color gathering in Chicago for UNITY ’08
Continued "om Page 1
their nominating petitions by 5 p.m.
on Wednesday, June 18.
Looking for multimedia
training? Multimedia sessions are
scheduled on Wednesday, July 23, and
throughout the convention. The
sessions will be in high demand, and
seating is limited. Other digital
sessions include:
A Day in the Life of a
Multimedia Journalist
Dynamic Data: Grabbing
Readers with Solid Numbers, and
Savvy Presentation
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
There's no one answer. I'm attending
to re-connect with old friends &
colleagues. I'm attending to listen /
learn /debate current issues relating
to journalism. Plus, Unity tends to
attract more recruiters and
management-types. But, I find that
more than anything, attending
reinvigorates me as a journalist and as
a Latina. I love seeing our success
stories (Quinones, DeLama,
Gonzales, Ramos, O'Brien) and our
future leaders, looking up to us for
help/guidance/reassurance. It is
impossible to attend NAHJ
conventions without standing a bit
taller, proud to be a part of an
incredible tradition that we are
helping to fulfill.
Judie Garcia, WGN-TV
I’m attending Unity ’08 to keep
abreast of the latest trends in
journalism and multimedia, especially
in a presidential election year. Also to
network and meet old colleagues
from the four different markets I’ve
worked on.
Adhemar Montagne,
NY1 Noticias
Just the Basics: How to Produce
Multimedia On a Tight Budget
Monetizing Your Web Site
Dialogue vs. Diatribe: Fostering civil
conversation in the digital world  Los Angeles’ first Spanish-language
Developing Multi-Platform
Content
Beyond the E-Paper: Innovative
Ways to Drive Website Traffic and
Revenue  25th in the Chicago Ballroom of the
It's a Blog, Blog, Blog World
Color Me In: Building a Multi-
Cultural Blogosphere that Matters
Also, join us as we induct New
York Daily News Columnist Juan
I am attending Unity because of the
opportunity it offers for students and
professionals to network. It will allow
me to have professionals critic my
work and learn in my final year of
college what changes I should make
to be able to obtain a job in the
journalism field once I graduate. In
addition to being able to attend
workshops that will benefit my career
and final courses at Columbia.
Lourdes Vazquez
Student/freelance writer
 
I am honored to attend the UNITY
Conference for the opportunity to
provide guidance and mentorship to
students working on the convergence
news project. I am also looking
forward to networking and sharing
my experience with other journalists
of color.
Fernando Diaz
The Chicago Reporter
I am attending the Unity Conference
to network and hopefully find a
reporting job in TV.
Linda Aguilar-Mares,
Wichita, Kan.
González, University of Texas at
Austin Professor Ma g gie Riva s -
Rodriguez, Ph.D. and Francisco P.
Ramirez, editor of El Clamor Público,
newspaper into the NAHJ Hall of
Fame.
This year’s NAHJ Hall of Fame
Gala starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, July
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.
For more information on NAHJ
Events at UNITY ‘08, go to: http://
w w w. n a h j . o r g / E v e n t s / 2 0 0 8 /
convention/Chicago.shtml
PAGE 8
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
Parity Project report
By Kevin Olivas
NAHJ staff
From the suspension of an innovative newsroom
diversity program to promotion and hiring of Latino
journalists. These are just a couple of the events that
have occurred in recent months in relation to
NAHJ’s Parity Project.
Scripps Academy for Hispanic Journalism suspended
The Scripps Academy for Hispanic Journalism, which has
been based at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver since 2004,
has been put into suspension by the paper for budgetary reasons.
Editors at the paper say this is a financial decision and that it
may be re-started in the future. The academy has served as a
two-year, full-time employment program in which bilingual
participants who have had some professional newsroom
experience worked at the Rocky Mountain News as full-time
reporters, photographers, online journalists, etc.
Photographer Javier Manzano is the only remaining
participant in this program. He made news in early 2008 when
he was kicked while taking the photograph of a man who was
about to be sworn-in as a Colorado state representative. Others
who have gone through the academy include current Rocky
Mountain News online journalist Laressa Bachelor, Daytona
Beach News-Journal reporter Rosa Ramirez, Daily Camera
reporter John Aguilar, Orlando Sentinel reporter Blanca Prieto
and Bakersfield Californian reporter Felix Doligosa.
 
Parity Project town halls
  On March 19, about 80 people attended the Parity Project
town hall for the E.W. Scripps Company-owned KNXV ABC 15
TV in Phoenix, Ariz. While some made mention of general
media terms used in coverage of the immigration issue, such as
the phrase “illegal alien,” others praised KNXV for working to
include Latinos into coverage, including stories that do not focus
on ethnicity.
Among the stories that have aired on KNXV was a piece
done by NAHJ member Christina Boomer regarding Arizona’s
E-Verify system, which has harmed the efforts of some legal U.S.
residents, including Latinos, who are searching for jobs. Since
the initial launch of NAHJ’s Parity Project at KNXV, the station
has hired several Latino journalists to work in front of and
behind the camera, including Boomer. KNXV also has promoted
NAHJ member Andy Ramirez from his long-time position as an
assignment editor to managing editor.
On June 10, The Salt Lake Tribune will host a town hall
with Latino community leaders regarding its coverage of
Hispanics since the initial launch of the Parity Project there in
April 2006. NAHJ members are welcome to attend this event
from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Tribune’s 6th Floor Conference Room,
90 S. 400 West. RSVP to: Nanette Hornsby, Tribune executive
assistant at (801) 257-8506. E-mail: nhornsby@sltrib.com
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
News Coverage By Some Parity Project Partners
• National Public Radio gauged the pulse of Latino voters in
early 2008 by having Florida-based CandidatoUSA Editor Luis
Clemens as a guest on its Morning Edition program. Latinos
currently make up about 15% of the U.S. population and remain
the fastest-growing segment of Americans. Clemens told NPR
what several surveys have also found: education, not
immigration, is the top concern among Latinos in the U.S.
Listen to this interview by visiting: http://www.npr.org/
templates/story/story.php?storyId=18468236&sc=emaf
• The southwest Florida-based Naples Daily News, a Scripps
Company-owned partner in the Parity Project, voiced its
concern over potential cuts to the journalism program at Florida
International University. Editor Phil Lewis says much is at stake
with FIU, especially considering that the campus has graduated
more Hispanic journalists than any other university in the
nation. NAHJ issued its own news release, voicing similar
concern over these cutbacks.
• Rocky Mountain News columnist Tina Griego re-visits
Denver’s Border Street. Griego, a longtime NAHJ member,
returned to a street in Denver where some legal residents and
undocumented people are neighbors, a year after she first
profiled the area. What she found is that some had left while
others stayed. Check out Tina’s work by visiting:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/apr/24/griego-a-
year-later-some-staying-some-leaving
 
Hirings and Promotions at Parity Project partners
• Carolina Garcia hired as executive editor of the Los
Angeles Daily News. She had previously been executive editor of
the Monterey County Herald in Northern California, as well as
managing editor of the San Antonio Express-News.
• Javier Aldape hired as vice president of Niche Products
for the Scripps Company, which owns 13 news organizations that
are Parity Project partners. Aldape, who was GM and publisher
of Hoy in Los Angeles, will be based in Chicago.
• Mandalit del Barco promoted from reporter to
correspondent at National Public Radio, where she has worked
for 15 years.
• Fernando Quintero hired as demographics editor at the
Orlando Sentinel. He had previously been a reporter at the
Rocky Mountain News in Denver.
• John T. Valles hired as presentation editor at the Abilene
Reporter-News in Texas. He had previously been at several
publications, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the
Houston Chronicle.
• Marc Ybarra hired as a writer/producer at KNXV ABC 15
TV in Phoenix. Marc was previously a writer at KTVK-TV, also
in Phoenix.
• Jose Sanchez, Jr. hired as a beat writer at the Ventura
County Star in Southern California. He had previously been a
reporter at the Press Democrat in the Northern California city
of Santa Rosa.
• Jennifer Rios hired into her first full-time reporter job at
the San Angelo Standard-Times in Texas.
PAGE 9
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
Profile on Carolina Garcia, Los Angeles Daily News
Carolina Garcia became executive
editor of the Los Angeles Daily News
in May. Before coming to the San
Fernando Valley newspaper, Garcia
had been executive editor of the
Monterey County Herald. She has
also held key editing posts at the San
Antonio Express-News and the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She is a
native of Texas.
What do you do for fun
outside the newsroom?  slimmer chances of being paroled. A
My dog and I take long walks to
parks and neighborhoods; we’re still
trying to get to the beach. And, of
course, I love to play tennis and golf.
What are initial impressions
of Los Angeles?
I’ve enjoyed my first month in
L.A., though I have to say that most
of my time has been in and around
the San Fernando Valley. I’ve yet to
venture beyond the hills to see the
"big city." It’s a great news town.
We’ve had huge breaking news, from
LAUSD’s absentee superintendent to
the databases of city worker’s salaries
and overtime that we posted on the
Web, it’s been a great news ride so far.
Though you've been in the
Daily News newsroom for a short
time, what qualities do you see
there?
The staff at the Daily News is a
hard-working, dedicated crew. All are
committed to the news and the Web.
We got more than 750,000 hits on the
city salary and OT stories and
databases; a testament to the work of
the reporter and online staff who
produced highly useable databases
that made it easy for users to find the keeping low-income housing from
salaries and overtime of anyone who
works for the city.
I’m looking forward to pushing
even harder on breaking news, digging   Another package of stories last
deeper into the bigger stories, telling year by Claudia was the Migrant Trial.
more and deeper stories about the
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
diverse and growing communities in
the Valley.
What is the thing you're most
proud of from your days at the
Monterey Herald?
In Monterey, we were able to do
some major projects that told the
stories about Latinos in ways that had
not been told before by that paper. I
am very proud of the work of several
reporters, who struggled mightily to
tell these stories. In Monterey, we
were a small newspaper with
shrinking resources committed to
covering an engaged and highly
educated and high-income
community. Not all of Monterey fits
that description, but our readers did.
To tell stories about migrants, housing
for Latinos and gang warfare took
some doing.
We did three large projects
recently that meant a great deal to us
and to the community:
Latinos Locked Out, a three-day
series by reporter Claudia Melendez,
that examined how land use policies
were set at the ballot box, effectively
being built. ... It was a courageous
series that asked and answered hard
questions.
NAFTA, the Farm Bill, the lack of
other economic opportunities force
subsistence producers to find work
elsewhere. She wrote about how
Mexican farmers struggle to survive in
their home states and how
entrepreneurs build projects to stop
the exodus of residents from their
communities.
  Reporter Julia Reynolds wrote
about how more and more young
people are facing life in prison with
three-part series, Down for Life,
examined the dramatic increase in life
sentences in California. She talked to
children behind bars, that life with
parole really means life and the
politics of the parole board.
  Julia Reynolds has been accepted
as a fellow in the Neiman program
and Claudia received a 10-month
fellowship at USC Annenberg School
of Communication. I’m proud that we
were able to work with the staff, get
them fellowships. It’s a comment on
their hard work and tenacity to tell
important stories.
What can be done to ensure
diversity doesn't fall by the
wayside as newsrooms downsize?
What can/should NAHJ do in this
regard?
I think we’re all committed to
diversity, and we may have to
accomplish our goals with much less
pomp and support. In Monterey, our
diversity went from 11% to 31%, then
fell after we had to cut staff.
Here, at the Daily News, we’re
working to include as many diverse
candidates as we can find in our hiring
pool. We’re lucky to be part of
NAHJ's Parity Project and that
NAHJ sends us candidates to review
for our job openings. We won’t stray
from a commitment to hire diverse
candidates and we will push harder for
greater diversity in the news pages
and online.
PAGE 10
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HISPANIC JOURNALISTS
NAHJ Poll Question:
Our policy is that unless the
individual’s legal status is relevant to
the story, we’ll include that, after a
careful verification to avoid
mischaracterizations. The same
applies to all people of all ethnicities.
Alfredo Carbajal, Al Día
Crime stories should not identify
undocumented immigrants unless
their crimes directly involve their
legal status. It is not the job of
reporters to publicly identify illegal
aliens. If local police departments,
like the NYPD refuses to do the
ICE's dirty work, journalists working
in the private and nonprofit sector
should take the same position on this
matter, unless of course, they are Lou
Dobbs.
Daniel Cuevas, freelance writer
I think a crime story should
identify ALL alleged illegal
immigrants, not just Latinos. My
impression is that such identification
rarely happens, except for Latinos.
  Crime stories should identify
alleged illegal immigrants because
that's another law they are accused of
violating. Why would a crime story
focus on one alleged crime and
exclude another?
  I don't know whether local police
agencies around the country have the
ability to determine an individual's
immigration status. Nonetheless,
crime stories in my newspaper are
usually about the police accusing
someone of a crime, which is not
proof that they are guilty. If they
accuse someone of illegal
immigration, that doesn't mean they
are illegal immigrants.  No, we would be treading murky
Ernie Garcia,
The Journal News/LoHud.com
This should be carefully treated
on a case-by-case basis. If the
immigration status is part of the
story, YES. ie: " Three undocumented
immigrants were shot and killed this
morning while crossing the Mexico
www.nahj.org
JUNE 2008
“Should crime stories involving Latinos identify illegal
or undocumented immigrants? Why or why not?” 
border.... " You would just as well say.. ethnophobia against all of us. (This is
"Three American Citizens were killed a terrific question -- much more
today while crossing the Mexico complex than the old days when we
border. Both factual information pressed the cops for physical detail
appropriate to the story. about black, Latino and Asian
  If the immigration status of the suspects.)
subjects in the story does not change Holly Ocasio Rizzo
the facts then... NO. ie: Three people Freelance writer/editor
were killed today in a downtown 
accident. The victims were identified
as John Smith and Juan Perez" No In general, if a person's
need here to say... John Smith born in immigration status is part of a
the USA and Juan Perez criminal complaint or a criminal
undocumented immigrant.  investigation, it is usually relevant to
mention that they remain in the
Patricio Espinoza, country illegally. That's because it's
nuzGeeks.com
important to note if a 'principal
character' in a story may face
I believe crime stories should additional federal charges (whether
NOT identify Latinos as illegal or they be immigration-related charges
undocumented, this should only or otherwise) and may also face
apply to crime stories. As writers we deportation.
  And we almost always mention
have done a disfavor to the Latino
community by doing this. By the prospective or maximum
continuing to identify Latinos as sentence a person faces once they've
such, we continue to increase the been charged. In so far as their
misunderstanding that is already immigration status may add to or
taking place regarding the alter that sentence, that's information
immigration issue. For example, the public should have. There might
someone who is anti-immigrant and be plenty of exceptions to this,
wants some statistic about why they especially if it's unclear what
should continue to be anti-immigrant someone's immigration status is, if
will say, "You see those illegal or what they've committed a misdemeanor, or
not, they are the ones that are if their immigration status is well-
committing crimes and ruining our trod ground from previous stories
cities, etc..." We do not need to and there are newer, more pressing
further increase the controversy. Also, details needing to be fleshed out.
why should we do that? We do not   All this said, I would probably
identify other ethnicity's as such, like not put someone's immigration status
you are ever going to see an too high up in a story unless it is
undocumented Asian or illegal directly relevant to their crime.
African in the news. They exist, but Frederick Melo
we do not mention them. Come on St. Paul Pioneer Press
people!
Karina Ramirez,
Denton Record-Chronicle legal ground, not to mention give rise
   to anti-immigrant hysteria. Who is to
verify legal status? The cops?
I live in California, where a
surprisingly high number of non- Immigration authorities? It just adds
Latinos already assume that Latinos another layer that really doesn't add
live here illegally if they're not to the main story in most cases.
citizens. Identifying undocumented Minerva Canto, freelance writer
immigrants in crime stories, without (former immigration reporter
also identifying legal residents and for five years)
citizens, likely would feed their
PAGE 11