Latino Media Gap shrinking presence of Latinos in mainstream English-language media
Wouldn’t be great if we had a study on Latinos in the entertainment industry and it was a positive one? That would encourage both the network and studio big wigs to keep doing the right thing, and Latinos to know that things are improving and that they matter in media. Well that study is yet to be commissioned. The Latino Media Gap study commissioned by NALIP, the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race (CSER) at Columbia University not only found that Latinos are no better off than 40 years ago, in some cases they are losing ground.
The Latino Media Gap focuses on the shrinking presence of Latinos in mainstream English-language media, finding that it remains low and is not significantly improving.
According to the study, there are:
“Fewer Latino lead actors in the entertainment industry today, than there were seventy years ago.”
Pointing out that:
“Whereas the Latino population grew more than 43% from 2000 to 2010, the rate of media participation—behind and in front of the camera, and across all genres and formats—stayed stagnant or grew only slightly, at times proportionally declining.”
Fo the purpose of the study a Latino/Hispanic was defined as:
“Persons born in the United States who are of Latin American descent and/or who have been born in Latin America and have immigrated to the United States…Spaniards are regularly confused with Latinos in media representations and tend to play Hispanic-coded roles, we refer to their influence and presence but do not count them as Latinos for statistical purposes.”
Therefore the accomplishment of Spaniards like Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are not counted in this study.
The Latino Media Gap based its study on statistics dating back to the 40’s and up through March 31, 2014 analyzing the following:
Latino inclusion in network and studio leadership
Top ten movies as measured by domestic gross revenue
Top ten highest-rated scripted television shows
Public television programming focusing on history, music, and independent documentary
Select YouTube sites.
The over all findings the Latino Media Gap study include eight major areas.
1. Latino participation in programming and movies is extremely limited.
In general, Latino media participation has modestly increased since the 1940s. But, per capita, it is the same or lower than it was in prior decades in major categories. For example, in the 1950s, Latinos were on average 2.8% of the U.S. population
2. Latino men have disappeared as leading actors; though the percentage of Latinas and Afro-Latino actors is rising.
Until the 1990s, there were considerably more Latino male leads than Latina leads in TV shows and films. In the 2000–2009 period, men disappeared from leading roles while the number of women playing lead characters rose.
3. Latinos are still missing behind the scenes
In the 2010 to 2013 period, Latinos comprised none of the top ten television show creators, 1.1% of producers, 2% of writers, and 4.1% of directors. In top ten movies, Latinos accounted for 2.3% of directors, 2.2% of producers, and 6% of writers. Even more dramatic, no Latinos currently serve as studio heads, network presidents, CEOs, or owners. Among the top 53 television, radio, and studio executives (including chairpersons), only one is Latina.
The absence of Latinos as executives and producers is a key factor in the current marginalization of Latino talent and stories.
4. Stereotypes restrict opportunities and perceptions.
On television and movies, Latinos continue to be represented primarily as criminals, law enforcers, and cheap labor.
5. News is worse than fiction.
Stories about Latinos constitute less than 1% of news media coverage, and the majority of these stories feature Latinos as lawbreakers.
6. Latino content and audiences expand viewership.
When possible, Latino media consumers reward shows and films that feature compelling Latino talent and storylines with high ratings and revenue. (The study cites the success of the Lifetime television show Devious Maids).
7. Consumer pressure creates impact.
Latino consumer pressure is increasingly effective in bringing about change by using the Internet and social media. From 1968 to 1998, 63% of Latino media campaigns aimed at television shows, advertisements, or movies prevailed in all or part of their goals. After 1998, this figure jumped to 86%.
8. Latinos drive new media production and innovation.
As Latinos continue to be shut out of traditional media, their creativity is migrating to the Internet, blurring the distinction between producer and consumer. Of the top 50 single- focused YouTube channels with the most subscribers, 18% are produced by and/or feature U.S. Latino content creators.
The one area where the study does note a significant growth is in the amount of roles for Afro-Latinos stars noting:
“While there were few Afro-Latino stars in prior eras, the percentage of prominent Afro-Latino actors has significantly increased. From 2010 to 2013, Afro-Latino performers represented 18.2% of Latino film actors and 16.7% of Latino TV actors, although they were generally confined to supporting roles in both media.”
On the topic of film, the study initiates a very important conversation distinguishing the success of Latin American talent in the U.S. versus American Latino Talent.
“From 2010 to 2013 Latin Americans in film, Latin American directors, writers, and producers such as Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity) and Guillermo del Toro (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) constituted 66% of all top ten Latino movie talent. Broken down by creative position, Latin American–born and formed professionals, mostly from Mexico, made up 100% of directors, 75% of writers, and 50% of producers
The study goes on to point out the dynamics of this trend.
“Not only does Latin American talent receive most of the top mainstream film opportunities accorded to Latinos in Hollywood today, the press often sees their achievements as emblematic of increased Latino media inclusion. This understanding, however, overlooks important differences in the incorporation of U.S. Latinos and Latin Americans to the movie industry. In addition, the majority of top Latin American writers, producers, and directors are involved in mainstream big budget productions and do not focus their work on Latino stories nor cast U.S. Latino actors. This is not to say that media artists should tell certain stories or employ specific actors. But to underscore that the greater participation of Latin American over U.S. Latino talent in movies has been possible due to important differences in personal background, professional trajectories, and career objectives in the context of a globalized industry. It is not inherently representative of a major opening for U.S. Latino talent and stories.”
The study headed by lead researcher Frances Negrón-Muntaner, director of Columbia’s Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race encompasses a broad range of topics looking at short- and long-term trends and covers areas and issues not covered in recent studies.
In conclusion the study focuses on the consumer power ($1.3 trillion annually) and the advocacy of the U.S. Latinos, citing that if Latinos demonstrate their growing consumer power and advocacy effectiveness through expanded use of the Internet and digital tools, there still might be a way to close the Latino Media Gap.
Do you agree with this study? Are Latinos worse off now than 70 years ago?
Comments