Low pay but big rewards

Communications scholar Dr. Federico Subervi and The National Association of Hispanic Journalists undertakes the first-ever survey of Spanish-language media professionals.

by Lena-Nsomeka Gomes

Dr. Federico Subervi, Media Consultant and Communications Scholar, and Director of Latinos and Media Project www.latinosandmedia.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to the gathering and dissemination of research and resources pertaining to Latinos and the media. Subveri is currently finishing a book on the mass media and Latino politics. Why study Spanish-language media?
Why not? There is a lot of information on Spanish-language media and the social, cultural factors contributing to its development. Given its rapid growth, itís important to understand Spanish-language media not just for commercial purposes, but to understand the social and political factors. How do people perceive Spanish-language media?
When I first started studying it, 20 years ago, Spanish-language and Latino oriented media was not valued. It was stigmatized. It may still be stigmatized. But given the growth of the population there is commercial value. Anglos profit in the millions out of Latino media. How fast is Spanish-language media growing?
Exponentially. Dailies have doubled in the last few years from five to 10, and broadcast has grown in terms of radio and television stations that donít produce news. What are you hoping to draw from the study?
Well, itís the first assessment ever done on Latino oriented news media. We want to understand the working conditions of these journalists, their backgrounds, and their expected future in news media. How did you conduct your survey and who responded?
We posted our 100-question survey on NAHJís website and got responses online via email, by post cards and over the telephone. We spoke to a diverse group of journalists and managers. Over 400 people replied, and out of those, we have about 380 valid responses. Who funded the survey?
The National Hispanic Journalist Association provided the financial resources. What are some of the highlights of your findings?
We thought we would find more cases of discrimination and harassment, but only a few people said they experienced either frequently. Why did you expect to find cases of discrimination and harassment of Latinos in Spanish-language media?
Because it exists. We have heard, in conversations, that different forms of discrimination and harassment were taking placeóespecially ethnic discrimination. What were some of your other findings?
The lack of job training. A majority of the journalists and managers said they have not received any job training and that the opportunities for on the job training does not exist. In fact, a majority of them listed the lack of job training and professional development as reasons that could compel them to change careers. How many of the respondents were actually educated in the field of journalism before working in the media?
More than half of them have college degrees and about 89 percent of them said they have had some previous educational experience in journalism prior to working in journalism. What stood out the most for you?
What was the most striking finding for me was that about 50 percent of each group of managers and journalists agreed to be interviewed at length in the future. They were willing and eager to talk about their job conditions and their future in media. They are a dedicated and passionate group who love the journalism profession. One of the biggest problems in Latino oriented news media is wages. Across the board, they get paid under par. Even so, these folks saw themselves working in media, in the near and distant future. When will the survey be available to the public?
The survey will be launched at Unity on August 5th. However, NAHJ may post something on their website before then.