DENVER, June 25, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Hispanic Journalists today calls on the U.S. Justice Department to take legal action to block Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, legislation that invites racial profiling of immigrants and Latinos because of its standard of "reasonable suspicion."
And NAHJ, an organization that represents the nation's Latino journalists, calls on our members and all news organizations to provide the kind of comprehensive, nuanced, balanced and accurate coverage that this measure and the entire issue of immigration requires. Narrow coverage that focuses purely on the passions excited by these issues ill serves the cause of knowledge and an informed citizenry.
We speak out today as journalists in both this call for action by the Justice Department and our call for comprehensive coverage. We believe that our members, Latino journalists, are as prone to be subjected to the requirements of SB 1070 as are immigrants or other Latinos. It is difficult enough for journalists to do their jobs, often in already intimidating situations, without being asked to produce "papers" proving citizenship or legal residency.
We are also mindful that many of our members are threatened by a subsequent proposal that would have the state of Arizona ignore the clear language of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees citizenship to all people born in this country.
NAHJ stands ready to lend its expertise in immigration coverage to news organizations at this critical moment with such a polarizing issue. The coverage the press provides can help or it can hinder. Using terms like "illegal alien", "illegals" as a noun, and "anchor babies" is dehumanizing and by their bias and loaded nature, eliminate any semblance of fairness when covering the debate. Language choices are part of this picture, but the bigger picture involves the ability for news organizations to provide the kind of comprehensive, nuanced coverage that helps readers, viewers and listeners make the most sense of what is undeniably a complex issue. This is not a story that can be boiled down to a he-said, they-said type debate.
We have another fear. Because of the passions provoked by this debate, it might be tempting for news organizations to shy from allowing Latino journalists from taking the lead or participating in such coverage. However, Latino journalists, who work under the same rules of ethics and standards as do other journalists, often offer an understanding and expertise that might otherwise go lacking. In any case, a reputable news organization would not remove someone with an expertise in legal or health matters from reporting on those issues because "they are too close to the issue." The same standard should apply to those who, by virtue of study or life experience, can bring the same kind of expertise to immigration coverage.
The Justice Department must act to block SB 1070 as a matter of equity for all Latinos, Latino journalists included. And news organizations must act in the interest of providing the kind of coverage that brings the highest level of understanding to this complex issue.
Founded in 1984, NAHJ's mission is to increase the percentage of Latinos working in our nation's newsrooms and to improve news coverage of the Latino community. NAHJ is the nation's largest professional organization for Latino journalists with more than 1,400 members working in English and Spanish-language print, photo, broadcast and online media. NAHJ is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.nahj.org.
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