FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2014
CONTACT:
Brian Pacheco, NHMC
bpacheco@www.nhmc.org
(213) 718-0732
University of Southern California (USC) Latino Alumni Association Recognizes Years of Work Advocating for Latinos in Media and Telecommunications
PASADENA, Calif. - On Tuesday, February 11, the National Hispanic Media Coalition was honored by the University of Southern California (USC) Latino Alumni Association at its
second Alumni Spotlight reception that honors the achievements of Latino alumni of the university. The association presented NHMC with the inaugural Special Recognition for Advocacy award.
"NHMC is honored to be recognized by the USC Latino Alumni Association for our years of work on behalf of Latinos in media and telecommunications," said NHMC President & CEO Alex Nogales. "Every day, NHMC works to make this country a better place for all Americans by making the media more inclusive of the Latino community."
"It is important to recognize not only how far we've come, but how far we have to go to ensure we are fairly and accurately portrayed in media," added NHMC Vice President of Operations Brenda Rivas, who is also a USC alum. "We thank our national partners and supporters throughout the country for their invaluable role in accomplishing important victories to achieve full inclusion for the Latino community."
To see the tribute video presented at the USC Latino Alumni Association's reception, click here. For additional photographs of the event, click here.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"]
Raul Rodriguez, NHMC VP of Operations Brenda Rivas, NHMC President & CEO Alex Nogales, Alma Martinez, and Santiago Pozo[/caption]
The USC Latino Alumni Association alsohonored alumni Alma Martínez, actor, scholar and activist; Santiago Pozo, CEO of Arenas Group; and Raul Rodriguez, Vice President and General Manager of Univision San Francisco Bay Area.
Founded in 1986 in Los Angeles to address misrepresentation and omission of Latinos in media, NHMC boasts a successful track record of advocating for a more responsible and inclusive media system and affordable communications services for all. NHMC's advocacy ranges from picketing outside of irresponsible media outlets, to testifying before Congress, to filing petitions to deny telecommunications mergers with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
NHMC co-founder and current President & CEO Alex Nogales, a multiple Emmy-Award winning producer, leverages his deep connections with top-level executives at entertainment, media and telecommunications firms to persuade them to do the right thing or risk being targeted by NHMC's campaigns. Two NHMC lawyers execute legal and policy strategies; and other staff members coordinate professional development programs to infuse more Latinos into the entertainment industry. At the annual
NHMC Impact Awards Gala, Latino A-listers and other Hollywood influentials come together to celebrate outstanding contributions to the positive portrayal of Latinos in media.
Some of NHMC's proudest achievements include:
- In 2000, ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX agreed to diversify their staffs and regularly report to NHMC and its Multi-Ethnic Media Coalition allies on their inclusion efforts.
- In 2006, the FCC fined Univision $24 million for failing to comply with children's programming requirements as a result of NHMC's petition to deny its sale.
- Through behind-the-scenes advocacy and coalition work, a number of anti-immigrant pundits have been ousted from prominent positions, such as Lou Dobbs from CNN and Pat Buchanan from MSNBC.
- In 2010, the FCC heeded NHMC's recommendation to adopt "net neutrality" regulations to preserve internet equality, even in the face of heavy opposition from the well-funded telecommunications lobby.
- In 2011, NHMC and its allies prevented AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile, which would have eliminated a competitive and low cost provider from the mobile phone market.
- In 2012, NHMC released a series of NHMC-commissioned studies on the impact of media portrayals of Latinos and immigrants. Among the findings: the term "illegal alien" evoked much more negative feelings than the term "undocumented immigrants"; one-third of Americans inaccurately thought that more than half of Latinos were undocumented immigrants; and the most commonly held Latino stereotypes run parallel to those reflected in the media.
- In 2012, Liberman Broadcasting removed its anti-gay, anti-immigrant and anti-female Spanish-language program "José Luis Sin Censura" from the air as a result of a joint campaign by GLAAD and NHMC.
- In 2013, thanks to NHMC and its coalition partners, countless news outlets, including the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, dropped use of the word "illegal" to describe people.
- In 2013, NHMC celebrated 10 years of its NHMC Television Writers Program. Through the program, NHMC has trained over 100 aspiring television writers and connected them with entertainment insiders. Nearly a third of these writers have gone on to write professionally in this extremely competitive industry.
- In 2013, NHMC led efforts to protect Lifeline, which subsidizes telephone service for the poor. NHMC's Jessica González testified before the U.S. House of Representatives.
- In 2013, NHMC identified and media trained more than 100 Latino leaders with expertise in various fields--including education, health, immigration, economy, civil rights--in the top 12 media markets to increase the diversity of viewpoints in news media. NHMC turned over the list of these leaders to the local ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox local station general managers and news directors for them to use.
With its small staff, NHMC understands the power of coalition work, and much of its advocacy happens with allies in the civil rights, immigration and media reform fields. It actively participates in the National Latino Media Council (NLMC), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) and the Anti-Hate in the Immigration Debate Table.
NHMC is headquartered in Pasadena, California and it has an office in Washington, D.C. Its board members are scattered throughout the country.
