Observers of the Latino media have responded to Media Matters' “Single Issue Syndrome” report on the lack of Latino representation on Sunday morning political talk shows by starting a conversation about how to address the problem.
In response to the report, Latino Rebels, a Latino-focused media website, started the #AskMeMás Twitter campaign. According to Latino Rebels, the report “led to a conversation among a few people in our group: what other topics matter to U.S. Latinos?”
#AskMeMás: What Topics (Besides Immigration) Matter to US Latinos? http://t.co/vahhilxs6C
-- Latino Rebels (@latinorebels) March 9, 2015
Latino Rebels followed up the #AskMeMás campaign by publishing a list of Hispanic experts who could speak about issues of importance to the Latino community as well as the population at large.
Meanwhile, the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) called the lack of Hispanic inclusion on Sunday shows “unacceptable.” NHMC President and CEO Alex Nogales said:
“It is unacceptable for Sunday shows to continue excluding Latino experts from discussing all of the most important issues shaping our country,” stated Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC). “Media has a responsibility to serve and reflect our nation's diversity, and it is long past time to get it right.”
Nogales continued, “I applaud Media Matters for this important study that sheds light on a long-standing problem.”
The Media Matters study reported that English-language Sunday shows often treat Hispanic guests as experts on immigration, but rarely invite them to discuss other issues. On the Spanish-language shows Al Punto and Enfoque, issues that matter personally and politically to Latinos like health care, education, and jobs and the economy barely received any attention.