Transnationalism and Latino print media in Spain: The challenge of linking contents to both origin and destination

The creation of transnational Latino media spaces is the result of the migratory flow of Latin Americans to the north. In this context, the goal of this research is to link news content in Latino print publications in Spain to the origin and destination of their readers, and to analyse the importance of this media content as a vehicle of transnational practices. As our initial hypothesis, we suggest that the content of Latino print media in Spain reinforces the maintenance of readers’ ties to their countries of origin, whilst failing to prioritize stories that encourage the incorporation of readers into their country of destination, in this case Spain. Our analysis focuses on the orientation of contents, in order to determine whether they are mainly oriented towards the readers’ origin or destination. The findings confirm the initial hypothesis, because origin-binding contents represent 62.4percent of all contents, a result that multiplies by four destination-binding contents, which represent 14.1percent of the total. The leaning of content towards origin is an important step to foster the transnational behaviour of migrants. However, the greater leaning of content towards origin could compromise the transnational role of Latino print media in Spain, because while their contents strengthen readers’ ties with their homeland, they do not sufficiently reinforce the integration of readers into their country of destination.

Hispanic media in the USA: current trends and future prospects

The relevance of this topic is primarily related to the change in the status of Hispanic media in the United States. Considering that in the middle of the last century most of the Americans listened to the Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, Washington Post, today they are focused mostly on the La Opinion, CNN En Espanol, Telemundo, NBC News Latino, Remezcla and others. The changes in the status of Latino/Hispanic media are only one of components in shaping a new reality, where the Latin American population starts playing a much more active role than it did a couple of decades ago. The author reveals the main trends typical for Latino Media of the new era, analysing the content of the modern Hispanic media.

Introduction

New media and modes of expression present issues that encourage understanding and reframing of modern Latino media. But in an older and little-studied medium that today is a cornerstone not merely of Latino but all mass communication—Spanish-language television such as Telemundo, Televisa, and Spanish International Network—a new need is found in a long unaddressed question: In an English-speaking country, how could a Spanish-language institution have emerged? The need for a first account of Spanish-language television is reflected in fervor among Latinos who believe its obscurity erases their history. Hidden historical source work can be and is found. A detective story that results in an inside story explains the meaning and prominence of Spanish-language television today. Significant yet unknown founding parents, historical roots tangled in two counties (Mexico and the U.S.), conflicts, and eventual landmark strides are introduced. Previewed are several themes and revelations. Because of foreign ownership restrictions, the now-giant Univision began as an outlaw firm. While U.S. mass communication is understood as a “Fortress America,” Spanish-language television internationalized U.S. media with implications scholars and experts have overlooked.

The Development of Ethnoracial Market Segments

Racial minority markets today are now multi-million-dollar ventures, but little is known about how these markets develop. This chapter uses the case of Latino media to show how market demands interact with racial narratives to channel the development of ethnoracial market segments. In a nutshell, the case shows that ethnic entrepreneurs exploit stereotypes about racial and consumer differences to build their minority market, but these racialized understandings can also prohibit market growth in the long run. The author contends that the study of racial and ethnic markets presents an important opportunity for economic sociologists to better understand how inequality and institutionalized meaning systems structure consumer markets over time.

Media Portrayals and Effects: Latinos

The media have long been criticized for the manner in which racial and ethnic groups have been (and continue to be) represented in its content. Characterizations of Latinos are no exception. Issues regarding portrayals of Latinos in the media have garnered considerable attention over the decades, prompting the establishment of the National Latino Media Council in 1999. The self-stated mission of this conglomeration of 12 Latino civil rights and advocacy groups has been to increase Latino employment in media industries and reduce the stereotypical depictions that harm Latino communities. If current social scientific evidence is any indication, the objectives of this organization remain as timely and socially important today as they were when the organization was formed. Existing quantitative research concerning the prevalence and quality of portrayals of Latinos in the media, as well as studies examining the effects of exposure to this content, reveal predominately harmful patterns of results (which, of course, depend on the quality and nature of the content). Content analyses that have documented representations of Latinos in media across various platforms conclude that Latinos are underrepresented in the media and frequently presented in stereotypical ways, though blatant stereotypes appear to be declining in the most recent examinations of these portrayals. Empirical investigations into the effects of exposure to these characterizations (on both Latino and non-Latino audiences) demonstrate that media images can influence audience members in terms of numerous cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes. Importantly (and unsurprisingly), there appear to be substantive differences in how Latino and non-Latino audiences react to such messages. Although many studies of media effects in this context are focused on the harmful implications of exposure (e.g., stereotyping, discrimination, the exacerbation of interethnic tensions), a small body of work also demonstrates that pro-social outcomes can emerge based on media exposure, especially (but not exclusively) in the contexts of health, education, and political decision-making.