ASNE - ASNE Reporter 2001: Ethnic papers provide bond for minority communities

Published Thursday, April 5, 2001
Ethnic papers provide bond for minority communities

America’s diverse communities are finding strength in ethnic newspapers, and a voice often left silent in traditional media coverage.

There are now more than 300 such papers in the country, according to the Philadelphia Free Library.

“We call ourselves a paper with a purpose,” said Sandra Garcia, public relations manager of New York’s El Diario La Prensa, America’s oldest Hispanic publication. “In general, non-Latino newspapers don’t know how to project Latinos. They rarely celebrate the successes; they always portrays the difficulties.”

Ms. Garcia said the Spanish-language paper tries to be useful by helping Latino immigrants with information vital to settling and living in the city.

Leaders of the ethic press say their papers support expanding minority communities by providing an alternative perspective on important topics.

“Most newspapers don’t touch on relevant issues; we try to fill that gap,” said Collwyn Cleveland, art director of The Haitian Times in Miami. Readers of the English-language newspaper, launched in October 1999, are mainly second- and third-generation Haitians, Mr. Collwyn said.

George Sylvie, a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin, echoed the need for ethnic newspapers. “You want to stay close to your people, and you want to know what’s happening,” he said.

Mollie Belt, publisher of The Dallas Examiner, said her black publication is all about the news.

“If you read the daily newspaper, you’re not going to get all of the news,” Ms. Belt said. The mainstream news “is filtered because some stories are out there, and they are never covered.”
In spite of the challenges, some newspapers are striving to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.

The San Jose Mercury News, in a city where the white population is the minority, offers two alternative-language newspapers, The Viet Mercury and the Nuevo Mundo.

Jeanne Mariani-Belding, a senior editor at the Mercury News, said today’s newspapers cannot treat some minorities like they’re living in a fishbowl.

“Inclusion is key,” Ms. Mariani-Belding said. “It’s all about treating all ethnicities as part of the fabric of the community.”

Ms. Mariani-Belding stressed the importance of mainstream newspapers using diverse sources that reflect today’s changing demographics. She said they should be asking themselves if they are equipped to deal with the changing numbers. “We really do try to reach out in our everyday coverage,” she said.

That’s where some ethnic newspapers may have the advantage, the University of Texas’ Mr. Sylvie said.

“The black press survives because it gives its readers an alternative perspective and allows African Americans to stay connected with the black community,” he said.