Lack of Latino Representation in the Media Industry
In a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, findings show that from 2010 to 2019, the percentage of Latino media workers who are Latino grew by only 1%, from 11% to 12%. However, despite being one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnic groups in the country, Latinos remain frequently underrepresented in the media industry, including those employed in television, film, news, and other publications. When they appear, they are typically portrayed as stereotypical characters and restricted to certain roles, such as maids, gang members, or drug dealers, which can reinforce negative perceptions. Therefore, a more diverse workforce is essential for influencing the stories, the characters created, and the overall content produced.
Latino representation is crucial to society as it helps bring awareness to barriers that Latinos often face in America. However, without authentic and accurate representation, these challenges often go unnoticed. Aside from bringing attention to these challenges, increasing Latino representation also serves to influence the next generation of Latino leaders. Seeing individuals with similar stories and cultural backgrounds can further influence their desire to pursue careers in media to ensure more representation. Additionally, it powerfully conveys the idea that their voices and stories matter.
References
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2021, September 21). Workforce Diversity: Analysis of Federal Data Shows Hispanics Are Underrepresented in the Media Industry. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-105322
Corujo, C. (2022, October 5). Latino representation in the media industry remains low, study finds. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/latino-representation-in-the-media-industry-remains-low-study-finds/#
As someone who grew up in a town that has a high Latino population, there is still little to no media representation for the people of this community. We rarely have a Latino in office for anything and that is not lack of trying, it is lack of advertising. Hopefully with it being Latin History Month, there will be more representation with the upcoming events.
ReplyDeleteI can see how overall Latinos may be under-represented but there are certain areas where it would be interesting to see what the statistics say, for example, South Florida. I grew up around Ft. Lauderdale and in the 1990's many of our broadcasters and journalists were Latino, this of course may be an exception and not the rule. I was digging around for additional information and came across both of these links which were interesting for different reasons: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latinos-are-missing-media-workforce-potential-grow-viewers-improve-con-rcna51086 and https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/11/02/newsroom-employees-are-less-diverse-than-u-s-workers-overall/
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