Assessing the Job Satisfaction of U.S. Latino Journalists

Abstract

What are the current working conditions and future prospects of Latino journalists working for any type of news media outlet? This question has not been addressed in any national study since Federico Subervi's 2004 research on behalf of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. This paper revisits the same subject matter seven years after (2011) the original work was produced, updating the figures and expanding the study by incorporating Latino journalists working for ethnic media, as well as those working for general market media. The results indicate that the dominant “motivation” factors present in 2011 that influenced US Latino journalists' job attitudes were work itself, advancement, and growth. The leading “hygiene” factors that influenced US Latino journalists' job attitudes were salary and relations with peers. Survey respondents agreed that opportunities to obtain professional training would significantly increase the likelihood of keeping their job and their preference for a training topic was digital/multimedia reporting. Journalists suggested three elements to assure a better coverage of the Latino community—a Hispanic/Latino supervisor, an educated supervisor, and media owned by Hispanic/Latino person/family. Additionally, news staff feel underpaid and dissatisfied with promotion opportunities as well as opportunities to increase their salary. They have felt job discrimination based on race.