THE ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR LATINO REPRESENTATION IN LOCAL MEDIA

December 18, 2023 Buffalo Latino Village

About a month and a half ago, I had the opportunity to be a guest on the WBFO podcast, “Buffalo, What’s Next?” hosted by Lorenzo Rodriguez. During my visit to the Buffalo Toronto Public Media studios, where WBFO is located, we delved into discussions about my upbringing on Buffalo’s Lower West Side and explored the narrative behind my documentary film, “Boricua Soy Yo.” The experience was fulfilling, but it also sheds light on the stark reality of Latino representation in Buffalo’s local media landscape.

A Farewell to a Much-Needed Voice: After the podcast was completed, Rodriguez revealed that he had just submitted his two weeks’ notice and that he was leaving his position as Producer/Reporter at WBFO. Although I respect his reasoning behind his decision to leave his position at the station, out of respect a conversation I will not share here, Rodriguez’s departure was disheartening, as his voice and unique perspective were precisely what our community needs in local Buffalo media. There aren’t too many of us telling our stories to the public and this unfortunate truth became even more evident as I toured WNED Studios, the home of WBFO, witnessing a noticeable lack of diversity within the building and being reminded of the lack of diversity on the other local news outlets here in Western New York.

Diversity Deficiency in Buffalo Media: A deeper investigation into Buffalo Toronto’s Public Media’s social media pages only underscored the scarcity of diversity in their staff. It became clear that our local media outlets were failing to adequately represent the rich tapestry of the Buffalo/Western New York Latino community. The lack of genuine interest in our stories and the tokenistic approach to diversity left me frustrated and disappointed.

Although I found myself disappointed in what I saw at Buffalo Toronto Public Media, this isn’t a recent or new occurrence, as there is quite a history of neglect when it comes to how the Latino community of Western New York is covered and represented in our local media stations.

When I reflect on my time as an Operations Engineer at WKBW News Channel 7, I recall how Puerto Ricans were only ever featured in the news when they were in handcuffs or participating in events like the Grease Pole Festival. This historical neglect and misrepresentation fueled my determination to leverage my background and media experience to bring attention to our community, our stories, and our unique perspectives, through my films and my writing within this very publication known as The Buffalo Latino Village.

It would be disingenuous if I were to write that the coverage of Latinos in local media has been completely lacking in recent years, especially with recent stories covering The Hispanic Heritage Council’s Niagara Street project, this coverage, however, seems to be solely exclusive to a small club of Buffalo Latinos.

This realization is especially frustrating when one looks at how diverse our Latino community is and how many more stories there are that seem to go all but unnoticed.

Taking Charge of Our Narrative: The frustration stemming from the perpetual oversight of the Latino community by local media outlets motivated me to take matters into my own hands. It became clear that we cannot rely on external entities to accurately represent our interests or share our stories.

In response, I’ve committed to using my platform and skills to amplify our community’s voices, ensuring that our narratives are told authentically and with the nuance they deserve.

My experience on the WBFO podcast was a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for Latino representation in Buffalo’s local media.

As I witnessed the departure of a valuable voice and observed the lack of diversity within local media organizations, the urgency to tell our own stories became even more apparent.

It is time for the Buffalo/Western New York Latino community to take charge of our narrative, using our voices and experiences to fill the void left by a media landscape that consistently falls short of representing our vibrant and diverse community.

We cannot rely on others, we have to “do for self.”