White House to host forum on Latinos in media
- Russell Contreras, author of Axios Latino
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) Photo: Ken Cedeno-Pool/Getty Images
The White House is hosting a forum Thursday on how Latinos are portrayed in media and Hispanics' lack of representation in film and television.
The big picture: The scheduled panel discussions during Hispanic Heritage Month comes after a recent preliminary U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that Latinos are severely underrepresented in the media industry.
Details: The White House is partnering with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to host a series of discussions to highlight Latino contributions across the nation's media ecosystem.
- This first in a series Thursday will feature media executives and talent, including CEOs of the film and music industries.
- Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) will moderate two panels with entertainment figures who are pushing for more representation.
The intrigue: Castro, a former chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has been outspoken about the lack of Latinos in film and in newsrooms. He asked for the GAO audit.
- That GAO report found that Hispanics only made up around 11 to 12% of the media industry workforce from 2014 to 2019, even though Latinos represented 18% of workers in all other industries combined.
- In 2019, about 8% of staff in newspapers and publishing were Hispanic, the report said.
What they're saying: “For generations, Latinos have contributed to the success of the United States, but far too often our stories are missing from the American narrative," Castro told Axios.