Hispanic communicators DFW joins other journalism organizations in expressing concern with the changes to Spanish-language newspaper Al Día.
Dallas-Fort Worth – Hispanic Communicators DFW stands with the members of the Dallas News Guild, National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists organizations in our disappointment with the change in the content Al Día has always provided specifically to the North Texas Latino community.
“Members of our 40+ year organization and other professionals give their unique experiences, talents, and language to build trust for news reporting organizations within the community,” noted HCDFW President Magda Salazar. “Connecting the reader to the stories of adversity, strength, and triumph come from cultural awareness and connections.”
The same is true for connecting readers with the information they need to make informed decisions. According to a study by statista, Hispanic Americans represented the largest group with trust in newspapers.
“As an organization that works to support and highlight the strengths of its Latino members, we cannot stress enough the importance of local, trusted journalism sources and bilingual journalists to inform and tell the stories of the approximately 40 percent Latino population in DFW.”
At this time in our history, we are experiencing calls for reduced diversity in hiring, rulings against civil liberties, access to health care, and immigration crises, actions that significantly and adversely impact Hispanics and Latinos.
The additional loss of a trusted news source (Al Día) that tackles these stories specifically with the Hispanic/Latino and Spanish speaker in mind leaves the population subject to mis- and disinformation via social media platforms.
Even though the proposed transition is in progress, we strongly urge the DMN to continue to invest in being the trusted source of news for Latinos on topics that directly impact them and give them the capacity to participate in their community.
Likewise, we also urge the DMN to recognize the professional strengths of the Al Día staff in their ability to serve their community as the skilled dual-lingual professionals they are, protect their jobs, and hire more bilingual and bicultural journalists.
Hispanic Communicators DFW stands committed to supporting the Latino journalist in DFW and welcomes the opportunity to serve as a resource to the journalism community.
Statements from senior leadership at DMN about the Al Día decision and how the staff will be absorbed into the DMN team are available online. A response from the Dallas News Guild is also posted online. Statements by NAHJ and SPJ are also available.
About Hispanic Communicators DFW
The Network of Hispanic Communicators was started in 1982 as a nonprofit organization, two years before the National Association of Hispanic Journalists was formed. We advocate for positive representation of Hispanics in the media and in news coverage, promote professional development within our ranks, and support future generations of Latinos in our profession.