FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 12, 2012
CONTACT: Inez Gonzalez igonzalez@www.nhmc.org (213) 718-0740
NHMC President & CEO Delivers Keynote At Hispanic Heritage Month Event
Washington, D.C. - October 2, 2012 - Alex Nogales, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition ("NHMC"), delivered the keynote address at the Federal Communications Commission's ("FCC") annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration today in Washington, DC. The event included a welcome by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and introductory remarks by former FCC Commissioner and NHMC board member Gloria Tristani, as well as a roundtable discussion between FCC representatives and leaders of major Latino organizations, a musical performance by Cantaré, and a food tasting.
Participants in the roundtable included Alex Nogales and Jessica Gonzalez of NHMC as well as leaders and representatives from many Latino organizations such as the League of United Latin American Citizens ("LULAC"), the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities ("HACU"), and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists ("NAHJ"). Also participating were a number of FCC leaders and staff. Topics included Latino media ownership and participation, broadband access and adoption, the importance of maintaining an open Internet, and a host of consumer protection issues.
Below is an excerpt of Mr. Nogales' prepared remarks offered at the event:
"We are all acutely aware of the challenges we face in effecting this great push towards equity. At NHMC, we believe in a number of underlying principles. Here are some of them. Ownership and employment in the so-called "old" media industry should be more reflective of the demographics of this day and age, so that all stories can be told using these powerful tools.
Participation in "new" media should not be dependent on what provider or device you use and should not be available only to those who can afford a more expensive plan. The Internet should be an open platform where lower barriers to entry should be taken advantage of and creativity should be embraced and not stifled. And participation and adoption should not be thwarted by fear or uncertainty due to predatory practices or a lack of information or understanding. These are some of our beliefs and we will continue to advocate for them at the Commission and elsewhere until equity is achieved."
A complete copy of Mr. Nogales' prepared remarks is available here.
###
About NHMC: The National Hispanic Media Coalition is a non-partisan, non-profit, media advocacy and civil rights organization established in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. Its mission is to educate and influence media corporations on the importance of including U.S. Latinos at all levels of employment. It augments the pool of Latino talent with its professional development programs. It challenges media that carelessly exploit negative Latino stereotypes. It scrutinizes and opines on media and telecommunications policy issues. Learn more at https://www.nhmc.org. Receive real-time updates on Facebook and Twitter @NHMC.]]>
