WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Journalists from across the country, political strategists and activists, and members of the Latino community will gather in Atlanta next week for a Town Hall to discuss the power of the Latino vote just days before polls open for the mid-term elections.
The Town Hall titled "The Power of the Latino Vote" will officially open the NAHJ Region 4 Conference, which will also tackle immigration coverage, the globalization of news, the future of Hispanic media, new technologies used in media, and feature training sessions in video storytelling and writing in Spanish.
Conference attendees and the general public are encouraged to attend the Town Hall to be held Friday, October 29, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center, International Ballroom B. Immediately following the Town Hall, NAHJ will host its first Wine & Conversation event from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the World of Coca-Cola (121 Baker Street).
The NAHJ Region 4 Conference will continue the following day at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. For the complete program and to register, click here.
"Journalists are coming in from 12 states, Puerto Rico and Mexico, and this is a wonderful opportunity for NAHJ to engage the Atlanta community in a conversation that is so timely," said Iván Román, NAHJ's Executive Director. "Our mission is to fight for fair coverage of Latinos, and most times when we're successful, it started by giving a voice to the community."
At the Town Hall, moderator Inés Ferré, a freelance reporter for CNN, will have panelists from the left, right and middle discuss their perspective on Latino participation in this year's elections and the impact that the growing number of anti-immigration laws such as Arizona's SB 1070 could have at the polls.
The panelists include Democratic strategist María Cardona, a principal at the Dewey Square Group and a senior advisor on the Hillary Clinton for President campaign; Georgia state Rep. Pedro "Pete" Marín, D-Gwinnett County; Adolfo Franco, a Republican strategist who advised Senator John McCain's presidential campaign on Hispanic outreach and Latin American policy; and Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director for the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO).
Right after what is sure to be a spirited discussion at the Town Hall, the journalists and the Atlanta community in attendance are invited to NAHJ's first Wine & Conversation event from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. at the World of Coca-Cola (121 Baker Street NW). The requested donation for this event can be given in advance, by clicking here.
At the event attendees can offer donations to help NAHJ continue its work of giving scholarships to Latino students, training more Latinos in multimedia journalism and bringing the Parity Project's advocacy for fairness in coverage to more cities.
The event is being graciously hosted by The Coca-Cola Company. Sponsors to-date include: Continental Airlines, the official sponsor of NAHJ Special Events.
For information on the Wine & Conversation event, please visit: http://www.nahj.org/2010/09/wine_conversation_atlanta/.
To RSVP for the Town Hall and the Wine & Conversation event, or to sponsor the Wine & Conversation event please email Azuree Salazar at asalazar [at] nahj [dot] org by Monday, October 25, 2010.
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7410