Congressman Castro to Release Federal Report on Latino Representation in American Media at National Press Club on October 5
RSVP here
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, October 5 at 10:00 AM, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) will release the second installment of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Latino representation in the American media industry during a Newsmakers event at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. The event will be open to credentialed press and invited guests, who can RSVP here. A livestream will also be available at the same link.
“Last year’s GAO report on Latino underrepresentation in American media put a national spotlight on the industry’s failure to recruit and retain talented Latinos,” said Congressman Castro. “From entry-level to the C-Suite, Latino voices are missing from the main image-defining and narrative-creating institutions in American society. This invisibility means that Americans don’t know who Latinos are or how we have contributed to the success of our nation. This year’s report will be a call-to-action to achieve greater Latino representation in media and enable the Latino narrative to finally be part of the larger American narrative.”
During the event, UnidosUS Acting CEO Sonia Pérez will provide opening remarks before Congressman Castro presents the findings of the GAO report. Congressman Castro’s presentation will be followed by a conversation with Michele Salcedo, a former editor at Axios and The Associated Press who served as president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists from 2010-2012. Congressman Castro will take questions from the audience during the conversation.
Embargoed copies of the GAO report are available on request. Interested members of the media should email geneva@mail.house.gov for more information.
In 2020, as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressman Castro led a coalition of members of Congress to request a GAO report on Latino employment in the film, television, and publishing industries and the enforcement of federal equal opportunity requirements in media. In 2021, the GAO released the first installment of the report, which detailed intense underrepresentation of Latinos in the industry. While Latinos make up approximately 18 percent of the overall U.S. workforce, GAO’s analysis found that they make up just 12 percent of the media workforce and just four percent of industry management.
The 2022 GAO report will include:
1) Detailed analysis of Latino representation in the American media industry, with data breakdowns by industry, gender, and education levels.
2) Takeaways from GAO interviews with stakeholders about challenges that contribute to the underrepresentation of Latinos in media
3) Review of public steps taken by large media companies to increase workforce diversity
4) Recommendations on how federal agencies can better enforce equal opportunity requirements and promote diversity in the media industry
WHO:
Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20)
Sonia Pérez, Acting CEO, UnidosUS
Michele Salcedo, National Press Club moderator
WHAT:
Release of 2022 GAO Report on Latino Representation in American Media
WHEN:
October 5, 2022 | 10:00 AM ET
WHERE:
The National Press Club, Fourth Estate Room
529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20045
RSVP here. A livestream will be available at the same link.