No one left behind: My Latino experience with media representation, erasure, and access
by: Ronnie Alvarez
posted on Thursday, May 25, 2023
When I was in fourth grade, my dad picked me and my siblings up from school one day because of a raging storm. My father is an outdoor laborer and has been since he came to the United States in his early 20s. Even today, my siblings and I know that poor weather conditions mean he gets a well-earned day off. We rushed into the car, avoiding the rain. On our way home, my father asked us (in Spanish), “Guess what I cooked today? I’ll give you a clue, it starts with an N.” “Nachos? Noodles? Nuggets?” we blurted with increasing curiosity. After a few minutes he told us, “Nope, nope, nope. Fine, I’ll tell you guys… Enchiladas!”
My siblings and I regularly tease our dad, since a large part of his personality is his humor and intentional immaturity. This incident was different. While I knew that he had not received a full education back in Mexico, this was the first time I realized that my father was illiterate. Unfortunately, my dad is just one of millions of people whose illiteracy keeps him disconnected from technology and the media. What’s more, his ethnicity has resulted in erasure and underrepresentation.
Elevating Latino experiences and voices
Earlier this spring, I began working with Berkeley Media Studies Group. This was my first time fully immersing myself in media and communications, and I was excited to learn about the powerful ways that media can impact communities. Only a few days into my internship, I was invited to a webinar titled “Elevating Latino Experiences and Voices in News About Racial Equity: Findings and Recommendations for More Complete Coverage,” which shared new research regarding the representation of people just like me.
BMSG’s research, conducted in collaboration with UnidosUS, the country’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, showed me that the type of impact the media has on one’s community depends on your identity. In this case, the numbers were telling me that I held less power than I deserved. The researchers found that Latinos were only referenced in 5.6% of news articles centered on racism and racial justice. To make matters worse, the small percentage of coverage that referenced Latinos did not show how we add value to our country; rather, articles focused mostly on problems, while only 40% of them discussed solutions. With only 11% of news analysts, reporters, and journalists being considered Latino, this fuels a lack of diversity in our media, which we know plays a major role in framing public issues and shaping public conversations.
This research reinforced my experience of erasure as a Latino growing up in the Midwest. I only ever felt represented in spaces that I either created or sought out. In both high school and college, I had to escape my imposter syndrome by joining and sustaining student organizations intended to make me feel welcome. While I am grateful for those spaces, I realize how temporary they can be and how much effort I had to put in to maintain them. To this point, I still ask myself: When will feeling represented be my norm?
Recommendations
As part of BMSG’s collaboration with UnidosUS, the organizations were intentional in providing recommendations for journalists, advocates, and others who are interested in creating more inclusive news narratives. Some solutions include:
- Expand and integrate authentic voices to diversify newsrooms
The diversity of newsroom staff is important because it helps to ensure that news coverage is more accurate, relevant, and reflective of the communities they serve. When newsroom staff are diverse and represent a range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, they are better equipped to identify and report on stories that are relevant and important to diverse audiences. Furthermore, having a diverse newsroom can also help to bring new and unique ideas to foster a culture of innovation and creativity.
- Bridge the representation gap, making sure to uplift Latino individuals and organizations
This is important for promoting equity and inclusion in the media industry. When Latino individuals and organizations are represented in the media, it helps to counteract historical and ongoing underrepresentation and marginalization. This can lead to a more accurate and diverse portrayal of the Latino community and help amplify our voices and perspectives. Uplifting Latino individuals and organizations in the media can have positive economic and social impacts. It can lead to increased employment and business opportunities in the media industry and can also contribute to a more vibrant and diverse media landscape.
- Create strategic messages that explicitly frame inequities facing Latinos as racial equity issues, while incorporating a solution-oriented approach.
Framing inequities facing Latinos as racial equity issues acknowledges the role of systemic racism and structural inequalities in perpetuating these inequities. This can help to create a shared understanding among audiences of the root causes of these issues and the need for systemic change. Incorporating a solution-oriented approach in strategic messaging can help to inspire and mobilize audiences to take action to address these inequities. When audiences are presented with clear and actionable solutions, they are more likely to engage in advocacy and support policy change.
The full report contains additional recommendations.
Next steps
Having the privilege to attend this webinar and learn from media research experts empowered me by showing me that our future is hopeful. That privilege, however, does not extend to my father. He lives in a country that he did not grow up in, he does not know English, and cannot read or write. He cannot use technology, nor is he interested in learning how. My father is among the group most marginalized by erasure.
For these reasons, I believe next steps should include improving access to media, which, to me, represents one’s access to their voice. Finding ways to make my father’s voice — and those of millions of other Latinos in our country — heard is much more difficult than mine. I am currently writing this blog on his 58th birthday, and when this is published, I will read it to him to remind him that his voice matters.
Feliz cumpleaños, Apa!