Celebrating Media Diversity Day with journalists

Five journalists from across the Rio Grande Valley spoke to the university community last Wednesday about inclusivity in the news workplace during Media Diversity Day in the Ballroom on the Edinburg campus.

Aje-Ori Agbese, a communication associate professor, coordinated the event with the help of the Office of Global Engagement and the Student Media department.

“I feel that because we here at UTRGV serve more than, what, 91.4% of our students are Hispanics, we are in a prime position to contribute media [practitioners] to the rest of the country,” Agbese said as she opened the event. “So, why not create an opportunity where we can celebrate what we actually do here on campus. So, the idea is really to celebrate what we do, to celebrate what we’ve done and also hear from our amazing panel what we can do better, how can we improve, what challenges to expect for those of you who are going into journalism in the future.”

The event included a panel with:

–Denisse Salinas, an anchor and producer for Telemundo 40;

–Heather Arevalo-Flores, an executive producer for KRGV-TV Channel 5;

–Ildefonso “Poncho” Ortiz, a reporter for Breitbart News;

–Mark Reagan, a criminal justice reporter for The Monitor newspaper;

–Steve Taylor, the editor-in-chief for the RioGrandeGuardian.com and

–Gregory Selber, a communication professor and the event’s moderator.

Selber opened the panel by asking the journalists their thought on white males dominating leadership positions in newsrooms.

“I know from my own experience, you know, working in a diversity room has helped me improve as a reporter and helped me see things I wouldn’t see from my perspective as a white male,” Reagan replied. “The more diverse your leadership is, the more those perspectives are going to be able to be shared throughout the newsroom. … Maybe there’s something from my perspective I don’t pick up, but luckily I work in a diverse newsroom.”

Ortiz added that minorities must work twice as hard when it comes to competing against Anglo individuals.

Selber continued the panel by asking if there was a difference between the way males and females think in journalism.

“I think when it comes to being a women and a mom now, the way we report stories is very different,” Arevalo-Flores replied. “We have a woman news director currently right now and there’s a lot of stories that she will stray away from because she thinks of the mother’s side of it.”

Salinas added that women can see things differently and can give stories a different perspective than a male.

Selber continued the panel by asking how journalists stay relevant with stories.

“I think it’s very simple,” Reagan replied. “You tell compelling stories that matter to people and that can be done in a variety of ways. News is changing, there are new platforms, there are new technologies, there are new ways to reach audiences. The reasons we’re utilizing those different technologies is the same, to tell compelling stories that matter about the community. If you’re not telling compelling stories, regardless of how much innovation you give to it, you’re set up to fail.”

Karla Vazquez, mass communication junior, said the event was interesting and she learned more about the careers students are pursuing.

“What stood out to me is how the different point of views of men and women in the news field can apply in daily reporting,” Vazquez said. “I didn’t realize that is true, like, how women have different opinions, like we do know that in everyday basis, but not in a newsroom.”

In an interview with The Rider after the event, Arevalo-Flores said she was honored to be a panelist and hoped to inspire future journalists.

“I feel like being a journalist is tough, you know, especially now that the whole fake news craze is going on,” Arevalo-Flores said. “You really, really have to have a passion for it. If you’re going in it for glamour or fame, that’s not the way to go. I don’t think this is the field for you, you’re going to learn that really quick. You have to really want to tell the people’s story, you’re going to have to be the voice for those who can’t speak and you’re going to have to tell the stories that sometimes you don’t want to tell.”

Agbese said she was happy to see students interact with the panelists after the event.

“I think what stood out to me during the entire panel was hearing how important our panelist saw the ability to speak in Spanish and English, and also telling our students how you can’t be in this profession if you’re going to be lazy,” Agbese said. “So, I love the fact that they emphasized hard work, which is something I emphasize in my classes, and I am sure Dr. Selber emphasizes and every other person who teaches media writing emphasizes, that you need to be in this because you have a passion for it and it’s hard work.”

Before the panel, Student Media held an interactive showcase where attendees could learn more about journalism structure and about creating stingers for UTRGV-TV and Radio.