Alex Nogales, president and CEO of NHMC, released the following statement:
“There is no doubt that this is a business about ratings. However, Zirinsky should focus just as much effort into diversifying her newsrooms by hiring qualified Latino journalists on air as she is by trying to turn a profit. Latino journalists are not only important because they sit at the table with decision makers, but also cover more accurate portrayals of the beliefs and experiences of the Latino community, which represents 18.9% of the U.S. population - the biggest and growing ethnic minority in the nation.
Zirinsky and other high-ranking, CBS news executives are part of a profession that hold others accountable, yet do not hold themselves accountable. They should be ashamed for not being committed to inclusive hiring practices because race matters. Don't get me wrong. The new CBS team has the qualifications and experience to do an outstanding job for CBS. But, our community is tired of being absent in the national consciousness and now absent in the consciousness of a national news network. We should not be at odds with CBS and other media outlets across the nation, fighting to be rightly represented on camera and off, and advocating for content that includes our demographic's socio-economic and political concerns.
If Zirinsky and her news teams are truly in pursuit of bringing authentic, three-dimensional and original stories to the American public ethically, impartially and honestly, then they should be inclusive of all major ethnic, racial groups in their hiring practices. If not, CBS risks Latinos abandoning its national newscasts."
