FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2019
(Washington, D.C.) The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) national board condemns a recent broadcast by the New York Times’ podcast “The Daily”, which included a manufactured border crossing by the correspondent and the producer of the show. The story released by “The Daily”, carries an uneasy amount of privilege conveying the long and laborious journey of immigrants to the border as a short 30-second swim. Throughout the podcast, the report totes a joking and apathetic tone. In an ignorant attempt to understand border-crossing, the clip excludes immigrant voices and any further context about the journey for those immigrants before and after crossing the river.
Journalism, in its commitment to reporting truth, insists that its reporters remain outside of their stories and integrate context and interviews to report from an accurate perspective.
“It is inappropriate for journalists to insert themselves into the stories. Proper journalism gives subjects a voice, rather than reducing the voice of an entire minority to the that of an American man with a microphone and background noises of splashing water”, said Hugo Balta, president of the NAHJ.
NAHJ reproves parachute journalism and urges newsrooms in all mediums to think twice before recklessly publishing border coverage. NAHJ suggests that before releasing a report, editors should ask:
– does the reporting convey only truth,
– does it report without inserting privilege,
– and does it accurately represents minorities/immigrants and their experiences.
Especially within the current political climate and in midst of a government shutdown, NAHJ applauds border coverage, done with conscious integrity and understanding.
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About the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in the news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has approximately 2,500 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.
Media Contact:
BA Snyder
Veritas Group for NAHJ
BA@TheVeritasWay.com
512.630.6337