Bilingual reporters needed quickly
I work in New Orleans, a city known for its jumble of cultures. The city has long had a thriving Hispanic culture. But the Hispanic presence in the area is increasing, as Spanish-speaking workers who came here to help rebuild the city decide to remain.
The workers are important sources -- and their stories are important, too. We're fortunate. We just hired someone who is bilingual who can help us tell those stories.
But all across the country, more bilingual reporters are needed.
When I speak to college journalism programs and students, my standard speech is: Make sure your journalism education is a balance between the scholarly (why do journalists do what they do, and why is it important to democracies); the skills-based (how to write a good lede); the futuristic (here is the equipment and the philosophy media industries will be employing a decade from now); the business-practical (here's how the finances of newspapers work); and the content-oriented (learn a second language, take a course in biology).
The last area, the content-oriented, is very important. I'd advised journalism students to drop their journalism major, become a foreign-language major and travel to another part of the world for six months or so before seeking a full-time job in the field. That experience, to me, will be more valuable to the student in the short run and to the industry in the long run.
By the way, someone else on the SPJ diversity committee will be taking over blogging responsibilities after today. It's been a pleasure being your blogger for two weeks.
Take care,
Mike McQueen