This October 15, Hofstra University’s School of Communication will host its second annual Latino Media Conference. Our goal is clear—to foster greater cooperation and collaboration between Hofstra and local Latino media, and to assist the participants in the conference in sharing experiences, examining best practices, searching for successful models for sustaining local journalism. We hope to support an ongoing agenda for building the quality and influence of the Spanish-language media on Long Island.
As dean of the School of Communication, I see this as a great opportunity for Hofstra to contribute to the health of our local communities, and to make people in those communities more aware of Hofstra as a resource. The 2010 Census offers extensive testimony about the growing size and diversity of the Latino communities on Long Island—in the previous decade, the Latino population of the island grew by more than 50 percent, and now makes up about 16 percent of the total population here. We hope the Latino Media Conference will help members of those communities find more effective ways to share information and develop their media presence in the area.
The day will include a keynote address by Juan González, the award-winning columnist of the New York Daily News. And there will be a series of afternoon workshops on such matters as building opportunities for community reporting using digital news sites; suggestions for improving the sustainability of local media; and workshops on building community radio alliances, video action projects, and community outreach affiliations. And I want to stress that our emphasis is on building partnerships, not just talking about them. We hope to extend these efforts in the coming years into a robust program of cooperation across Long Island.
Hofstra University is investing in this partnership, and we are pleased that the Tribune New York Foundation has seen fit to offer its generous support of these goals. But the most vital investment will come from those members of the Latino media community on Long Island who give their time and effort toward the success of this day.
Modern communications technologies have shrunk the globe, and in the past couple of decades the emergence of a truly global marketplace for products (and ideas) has transformed the world, making us aware of how interconnected all parts of the world now are. Yet there is still a lack of communication both within and between our local communities on Long Island. I hope this conference, and those to follow, will help foster greater communication, and then greater cooperation, between different groups in the region.
Business owners, residents, students, writers, activists, and leaders are welcome to attend this free event on October 15. Information about the conference is available here or on the Latino Media Conference Facebook page. For more details, contact Professor Mario Murillo at mario.murillo@hofstra.edu.
