The National Association of Hispanic Journalists will gather July 9-13 in Hollywood, California, the state where it was founded 40 years ago

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, June 12, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ --
When the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) convenes next month in Hollywood for its annual conference, the event will spotlight the extraordinary impact the organization has had since its founding 40 years ago, when few Latinos worked in American newsrooms and the Hispanic community was often stereotyped or ignored.

This year, the NAHJ 40th Anniversary Conference and Expo will feature the induction of four Hall of Fame members who embody the progress of Latinos in news:
-John Quiñones, a former farmworker, has earned seven national Emmys in his four-decade career with ABC News.
-Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, is the first Latina president of CBS News.
-Rafael Prieto Zartha, a founding member of NAHJ, was a vice president of the California Chicano News Media Association in 1982.
-Steve Padilla, a legendary Los Angeles Times editor, is renowned as a writing coach to many journalists across the country.

Despite these strides, NAHJ’s mission is far from done. Latinos remain underrepresented in newsrooms, especially at senior management levels, even as Hispanics represent close to 15% of eligible voters and 19% of the population. Journalists of color have been disproportionately affected by newsroom layoffs.

“Informing and engaging all Americans is essential to the success of our multicultural democracy, especially as we move toward becoming a majority-minority country,” said NAHJ President Yvette Cabrera. “Latino journalists often help new Americans and overlooked communities connect to the news, while giving the rest of the country a much more accurate and nuanced understanding of their Hispanic neighbors.”

For the first time, NAHJ’s annual conference is supported by an honorary host committee and community partners, signaling broad-based alignment with NAHJ’s mission. Committee members are prominent Los Angeles-area Latinas from the media and entertainment industries, while the community partners are local and national organizations.

From its start in 1984, NAHJ now has close to 4,000 journalists and media executives as members; more than 1,500 of them are expected to attend the annual conference at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles on July 9-13. NAHJ has grown by supporting Latino journalists at every stage of their careers, principally through:
-Scholarships and educational support: NAHJ has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to aspiring journalists since its founding, including $34,000 in 2023. It also coordinates internships that can launch young journalists’ careers.
-Training and Professional Development: This year’s conference features nearly 90 workshops and training sessions; NAHJ organizes many more throughout the year.
-Networking and Community Building: Many NAHJ members credit the organization for support at every stage of their careers. Conferences, chapters, and programs provide opportunities for young journalists to connect with seasoned professionals.
-Chapters and Local Groups: NAHJ has numerous chapters across the United States, fostering local networks and support systems for Hispanic journalists.

Recently, NAHJ introduced the Adelante Academy to expand its professional development role. The first cohort – a group of Latina journalists preparing for top leadership positions – began their program at Columbia Journalism School in January and will present their final projects at the conference.

NAHJ’s other pillar is advocacy, for more newsroom representation by Latinos, press protections, and accurate portrayals of the Hispanic community. This year alone, NAHJ spoke out on several issues, including:
-The community impact of layoffs at the LA Times, Univision, and elsewhere.
-The injustice of a Los Angeles city suit against a watchdog group that published city-released photos of undercover police.
-The safety and freedom to report of journalists covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
-How to write fairly and accurately about immigration, a key election-year issue.
-In defense of professional and student journalists who were arrested or attacked while covering protests across the country.

The Hollywood conference will open with a full day of journalism training open to students, journalists, and others. Participants can choose between workshops in climate/environmental reporting or data and investigative journalism. The opening town hall, on "Election 2024: Empowering Hispanic Voters as
AI Amplifies Misinformation," will also be open to the public.

Plenary sessions during the conference will include a panel discussion on "Exploding the Myth of the Monolithic Hispanic Vote." The conference will also feature the Ñ Awards, recognizing excellence in journalism by NAHJ members.

Andrew Sherry
Communications Partners, LLC
+1 202-352-3911
andrew@communications.partners
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