• Net Neutrality: Opening the Doors of Opportunity

    Joseph Torres
    March 17, 2010

    Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn made a direct appeal to the civil rights community to support Net Neutrality rules during an appearance at a forum hosted by the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies in Washington earlier this month.

  • Growing Support from Communities of Color for an Open Internet

    Misty Perez Truedson
    Joseph Torres
    February 4, 2010

    Support for Net Neutrality continues to grow among communities of color as the FCC considers rules to protect the open Internet.

  • Ethnic Media Going Strong

    Joseph Torres
    June 15, 2009

    While news about the mainstream media seems to get worse by the day, the same can’t be said for ethnic media.

    A recent study by New America Media revealed that the launch of ethnic media outlets and their reach have been increasing over the past four years. The audience for ethnic media grew by 16 percent during this period, reaching 57 million people on a regular basis.The study also found:

  • Investigating the Journalism Crisis

    Joseph Torres
    May 8, 2009

    Wednesday’s Senate hearing on the future of newspapers felt more like an autopsy. Call it CSI: Newspapers.

    At a time when we need to step back and take a holistic approach to examine the crisis facing journalism, the participants in yesterday’s hearing seemed all too ready to hone in on one culprit: the Internet.In doing so, they were ignoring a vast crime scene, with a slew of villains and victims on every side.

  • Journalism Unraveling

    Joseph Torres
    April 27, 2009

    The crisis in journalism has reached such proportions that any efforts to fix it seem impossible.A new report by the Radio-Television News Directors Association last week found that nationwide, local television news stations slashed 4.3 percent – or 1,200 – newsroom jobs last year.

  • The Closing of the Rocky

    Joseph Torres
    February 27, 2009

    “Do you know what your paper published about Cesar Chavez’s birthday?” a Latino leader asked John Temple, the editor, publisher and president of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado.

    “No,” Temple replied.“That parking was free downtown. That’s it.”It was one of many tough questions Temple would field from the Latino community during a 2003 town hall meeting the paper co-sponsored with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).

  • Survey Says: Press Failed to Cover Race Relations During Election

    Joseph Torres
    February 20, 2009

    Did the mainstream press cover 2008’s historic presidential election with an eye toward examining race relations in America in a fair, accurate and thoughtful manner? Survey says: “No.”

    An astounding 92 percent of journalists of color polled for a new survey believe the mainstream media did not effectively cover race relations during the election. The survey was conducted and released this week by the African-American news Web site, The Loop 21, and UNITY: Journalists of Color Inc.

  • The Journalism Crash

    Joseph Torres
    December 9, 2008

    The journalism profession is in crisis, where every week brings another bleak announcement.The situation looks dire for the mainstream media industry, particularly for newspaper companies. Tribune Company, the third-largest newspaper chain in the nation and owner of 23 TV stations, declared bankruptcy. Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the country, announced it was slashing 2,000 jobs. Scripps put a “for sale” sign on The Rocky Mountain News, and the Miami Herald is reportedly on the block.

  • Bloodletting in the Newsrooms

    Joseph Torres
    November 12, 2008

    The news keeps getting worse for newspaper journalists and the communities that depend on their daily papers for local coverage. Across the country, newspapers are trying to maintain their high profit margins by slashing newsroom jobs and news coverage.Last month, the Star-Ledger, the largest newspaper in New Jersey, became the latest paper to scale back its newsroom operation. The paper announced plans to lay off 40 percent of its staff. The Los Angeles Times laid off another 75 journalists.

Pages