Letter from the Publisher

Dear NAHJ Members,

Early September 2019 at the EIJ Conference in San Antonio, I was able to share the many opportunities and advancements of NAHJ's future, including the launch of palabra.; a new multimedia platform for NAHJ freelance journalists. I am proud to announce that the first issue of palabra. is officially published.

For years, NAHJ has advocated for more Latinos in newsrooms, and palabra., is bringing this mission statement to life by creating an opportunity for freelance journalists to share their local stories, perspectives, and an accurate and honest representation of the Latino community.

In an industry climate that is becoming more and more difficult to navigate, and when many Latino journalists are finding it difficult to live off of what they are being compensated, this is an initiative to give our colleagues exposure and help them stay in the business.  With items such as billing, health insurance and administrative tasks, it is our hope that NAHJ can create a mechanism to serve freelancers as their back office, and provide development that creates a sustainable future for them beyond just this outlet. palabra. supports all rising journalists and gives NAHJ freelance journalists members a secure platform to share their voice, in order to better serve and promote the voice of their local communities. Through palabra., Latino's are reclaiming ownership of their own narrative. The outlet will cover stories that have been disregarded in larger news outlets based on the ideology that Latino news is only a minority issue, and not a human issue.

palabra., is a strong and proactive continuation of NAHJ's mission: to give a voice to Latinos/Hispanics and to create a new standard of excellence in representation and coverage. palabra. strives for a sense of accountability to produce inclusive news coverage that represents and affects the Latino community.

The ongoing publications led by Managing Editor Ricardo Sandoval-Palos are expected to reach global audiences. It is not our intent to limit ourselves to a specific audience or stay in a comfort zone of only reporting to the Latino community. Our goal is to reach all people, in order to allow them to hear and understand more inclusive and accurate news represented by diverse journalists. palabra. is meant to inspire a change in rhetoric and encourage interactive engagement between Latino journalists and universal audiences. It is our hope that this concept is recognized as an example business model that inspires other affinity organizations, industries, and community members.

I want to thank current and past NAHJ leaders for their leadership and commitment to our members. I'd also like to thank Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation and the John S. Knight Foundation for their support of NAHJ and our commitment to more Latinos in News.

Sincerely,

Alberto B. Mendoza