Ooh! I finally get to say this...
After 5 years at as a digital news nerd with eyes on breaking news, I am now joining the
@latimes
Latino Initiatives team as community editor
My team at De Los was gutted. I can't find the words to express how much I feel for them and the rest of my
@latimes
colleagues. For many, working here was THE dream job; others, uprooted their lives. For all of us, it's a privilege to tell stories that reflect our communities
Today was my first day in my new role as assistant editor for the News Desk
@latimes
. It’s a weird time right now so I’m grateful and excited to be part of this team in a new capacity. I’ll always remember my promotion day outfit: sweats, a tank and pink furry slippers
Let us introduce you to De Los!
What we've been working on at the
@latimes
Latino Initiatives team.
We'll focus on everything Latinidad in L.A. and across the country. But we can't do it alone. We need you.
Earlier this week, I closed my chapter at the
@latimes
I feel fortunate to have worked alongside talented journalists, and even more so, kind, thoughtful people. I've learned so much and continue to be inspired by them. 🧵
The original package title was “A land of useless workers” and has recently been changed by
@TheEconomist
This is a perfect example of why you need more
#MoreLatinosInNews
, more diversity AND jobs like those of digital and audience editors
This came as a surprise to the newsroom. No words. Lots of essential jobs eliminated including on my old team the news desk, the copy desk and the audience engagement team
Some news... I've been too busy diving into this new role to share but here's what I've been up to the last few weeks. Excited to get back to local, community-centered news and help expand coverage across this newsroom
Full circle moment for
@JessicaPerezLA2
! She started as a volunteer mentor when Boyle Heights Beat launched in 2010 and then became deputy editor. Perez returns to serve as Senior Editor of Boyle Heights Beat, managing all editorial staff.
Brought my mom to watch me give a commencement speech
@UCIrvine
#nuestragrad
and she gets to sit front row. Grads here get to walk with their parents too 🥹
.
@CalState
journalism professors sent recommendations to
@latimes
masthead today:
"Latino Caucus figures reveal only 4% of Metpro fellows and interns at the L.A. Times over the past decade have been Cal State students or graduates"
It’s not just kids living on the streets who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. They’re in L.A. suburbs, friends and classmates of our children.
Honored to have been selected as an
@ICFJ
fellow. I’ll be traveling to Peru next month to exchange ideas on digital innovation and sustainable news models. So grateful and excited for this!
📢DON’T CROSS THE LAT GUILD DIGITAL PICKET LINE
To support us in our walkout, we ask you not to
1) Click on LAT stories
2) Engage with LAT brand accounts on social media
3) Open LAT news alerts
Or otherwise engage with LAT content from midnight to 11:59 p.m. Jan. 19
Being a journalist on a digital team that handles multiple platforms can mean doing work that often goes unnoticed. But I assure you these teams are many times the first ones to spot, judge, write and mobilize during breaking news. 🧵
So far, my bilingual daughter has watched an
#Oscars
with Mexican winners, the 1st indigenous Mexican woman nominee, award introductions in Spanish and 2 Spanish-language ads... Hoping this is her normal
You never stop learning about your city's culture and history. Check out
@latimes
new podcast about and obscure and 'larger than life' street racing legend: Big Willie Robinson. Here's how
@DanielNMiller
uncovered the story
Honored to have been awarded 1st place in the audience/community engagement category for our work on the Dia De Los Muertos project and event with
@delosLAtimes
. That experience was truly special
This weekend was amazing! What we got to do at the Latinidad Stage
@latimesfob
will forever stay with me. Thank you to all the panelists who spoke their truth, and to the audience, many first timers, who said, “I feel seen,” “we need more of this.” Truly felt like community ❤️
'I got a job, I got class': Why Cal State L.A. isn't roiling with protest
"The greatest distinction is that students.. are juggling schoolwork with jobs and pressing responsibilities at home." Great reprorting by
@MelissaGomez004
We are proud of the work we’ve done at De Los and want to continue to do that work because we love it. We owe it to our communities. They deserve better and we deserve better. Today I’m walking out in solidarity with my colleagues ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽
“Martinez can complain all she wants that others kneecap Latino political power. But as this fiasco shows, we have met the enemy — and it’s always, always us.” Take from
@GustavoArellano
Even after L.A. and CA passed laws to decriminalize street vending, vendors are still dealing with inaccessible permitting procedures, anti-vending zones and confusing equipment standards,
@chels_hylton
for De Los. Photos by
@lasfotosproject
youth photogs
🚨🚨Half of LA County is Latino, but Latinos are severely underrepresented in the
@latimes
newsroom. Now,
@latimes
is preparing to layoff 19 Latino journalists, setting us back yet again. We refuse to go backward.
@LATLatinoCaucus
#Siempreadelante
Such beautiful stories and memories shared by readers for the
@latimes
digital ofrenda. Love this project for so many reasons: It’s accessible, bilingual, provides a service and proves how powerful and effective collaborating with your audience can be
My parents were rockeros so not much of this at my house but when my uncle would drive us to the school bus stop in the mornings, it Armando Manzanero ballads blaring from his baby blue station wagon
Please read this heartbreaking thread. Courtney and I started on the News Desk on the same day more than 5 years ago. She and that team are worth fighting for
Ruben Salazar was a pioneering journalist who gave voice to Latinos in ways unheard of in mainstream outlets. He was killed Aug. 29, 1970 while covering the Chicano Moratorium protests. This week
@LATLatinoCaucus
and
@latguild
celebrate his lasting impact.
#RubenSalazar
#SomosLAT
Carve some time today or this week to dive into this extraordinary project commemorating the
#ChicanoMoratorium
and the death of
#RubenSalazar
. The issues from 50 years ago are still so relevant today
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the
#ChicanoMoratorium
and the death of former Los Angeles Times journalist
#RubenSalazar
. Follow this thread for a look at this historic event, which still reverberates in the Latino community half a century later
Great example of community and service journalism. Our
@boyleheightsbt
post has been shared more than 3K times on IG since it published yesterday. Now, the
@southcoastaqmd
is coming to our community meeting Saturday to help people sign up. I love this work 🙌🏼
Free in-home air purifiers are now available for qualifying Eastside residents as part of the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s residential air filtration program.
I thought I was lucky to scoop up
@Tomas_Mier
for my
@AnnenbergMedia
team covering South L.A. 3+ years ago. Little did I know this eager freshman was on so many teams- just doing it all- and damn well. Word of advice: Hire him
Today is my last day as an intern at
@latimes
🥺 I'm so proud of my work here. Writing COVID-19 obituaries taught me the importance of empathy in journalism and the power of storytelling. It taught me to listen. It reminded me why I chose this career.
During my time at
@boyleheightsbt
the thing I heard most from Latino teens who wanted to report on their communities was that they didn’t see the media telling their stories. How can we be the
@latimes
and not represent the communities we cover?
Under pressure from
@latimes
staff, our bosses today released newsroom diversity numbers. Our newspaper embarked on a historic hiring spree under a new owner in 2018. The result? Our Latino, Black and Asian figures hardly budged.
Many of us can hear our tias and tíos in this audio. The kinds of things we try to call out from across the table. When we were younger, we were mocked and ignored. Now that we’re older—many of us with children—we just won’t/ can’t tolerate it
Yesterday we kept asking each other how we were doing via slack. Most of us sick first, then numb. Working off adrenaline. We knew we’d feel it once it wore off. We knew we’d cry eventually. Sending my
@latimes
team ❤️
Reporters learn to compartmentalize, to just put their head down and do the job because getting the facts out is what matters most in the moment, not their feelings. But it’s hard to prepare for when adrenaline fades and reality finally hits (it always eventually does)
My focus the past few weeks has been digital production for this series. It’s a true crime story of an
@anaheimPd
detective who stopped at nothing to find the killers of women who went missing in OC- yeah, badassery!
I’ve been excited all day about the incredible storytelling by my
@latimes
colleagues. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the special projects, investigations and beautiful narratives we’ve dropped in the last 24 hrs, do it now
This week, we wrapped up our first De Los Latino poetry series. Poet
@YesikaStarr
served as a guest editor and brought in four other poets who told stories of belonging, and artist Pepe Te Adoro created animated illustrations. See the full series
So here is what we are building at the Los Ángeles Times. It’s called De Los and will be product dedicated to Latino culture and identity. Launch is in July!!!
We're kicking off the De Los illustrated poetry series featuring new works by Latino poets in L.A. and across the U.S. Each week in August, guest editor
@YesikaStarr
and four other poets will explore the theme of belonging with art by Pepe Te Adoro
I had the pleasure of working with Christian on 2 teams at the Times. He has so many qualities it's hard to name them all. He's not only incredibly intelligent, thoughtful and someone you can rely on, but leads with compassion and we need more of that ♥️ HIRE HIM
So excited to bring you our Latinidad Stage at
@latimesfob
How great is it we get to bring authors, poets, experts, community members to have important conversations around the diverse Latinx experience? Check the lineup, make your game plan, and come say hi!!!
I got to edit one last story for De Los.
In this collaboration between
@delosLAtimes
and
@boyleheightsbt
, youth reporter Kathryn Mora explored one family's experience learning to live together again after conflicts over religion drove them apart
I’m excited to share the first story in our series Generaciones, a collaboration between De Los and
@boyleheightsbt
that explores how generational differences shape our identity and how young Latinos are bridging those divides
From the story: They are not planning to test patients who have the symptoms but are otherwise healthy enough to be sent home to self-quarantine — meaning they may never show up in official tallies of people who tested positive.
“the Pulitzer Prize Board would like to recognize the tireless efforts of student journalists across our nation’s college campuses, who are covering protests and unrest in the face of great personal and academic risk.”
“People associate Americana, folk and country music with white people… my main goal… is to empower youth of color to be proud of who they are... [I’m] reclaiming something that actually has roots in Mexican and Indigenous cultures” via
@HexPositive
I can speak to so many times the News Desk
@latimes
has, to quote line and copy editors, “saved the day.” That entire team received layoff notices this week. They are a vital part of newsrooms, and sadly still seen by some as support staff
“L.A.’s heartbreak industry isn’t Hollywood; it’s journalism. To paraphrase what the late A. Bartlett Giamatti said about baseball, it’s designed to break the hearts of those who work it.” via
@GustavoArellano
I'm proud of the work we have done at De Los in this short time. I'm still employed but have no idea what's next. For now, I'll be retweeting my colleagues so you can hire them. They're truly amazing
.
@OdiliaRomero
speaks about how indigenous people continue to face dangers when their languages aren’t recognized on Oaxacan influence in LA panel w/ Bricia, Paulina y Fernando Lopez
#LatinidadStage
@latimesfob
I love my job at
@delosLAtimes
so much that I genuinely hate having to walk out. I had a SCOOP I was ready to run that I now have to put on ice. These layoffs do not have to happen, not this way, and walking out means defending my colleagues and the value of our work 🫡
#SomosLAT
A Times special correspondent in Gaza offers a personal account of living in a place where nowhere feels safe.
Gaza diary: What life is like under daily airstrikes, blackouts and scarcity
.
@A_MartinaIbanez
and
@fidmart85
talking about how the work from the
@latimes
Latino Initiative involves collaborating across sections and engaging with our communities
I'm grateful for the opportunity, to those who opened doors and to the fearless leaders of the
@LATGuild
and
@LATLatinoCaucus
. Incredibly excited for what's next!
Support local news ✊🏽
On the latest ep of my podcast, I had a great time catching up & reminiscing w
@JessicaPerezLA2
Tune in to hear about their journey into journalism, starting the blog MisNeighbors in 2010, & their work mentoring youth w the
@boyleheightsbt
.
#boyleheights
We have big news! Just now, the
@latguild
and the
@latimes
reached a tentative agreement on our first-ever union contract.
The newsroom still needs to ratify the contract. But after 15 months at the bargaining table, we’re at the finish line.
❤️ Thankful for people like Nancy who have paved ways for many of us in journalism. Read about her work on
@latimes
1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning project on Southern California's Latino community written by
@chels_hylton
Some personal news, broken by
@Sammy_Roth
... So much has changed at my beloved
@latimes
since I joined the Business staff in 1982. But the place is still filled with talented, committed journalists. Subscribe & support local journalism!
I'll cherish the 5 years of adrenaline-filled breaking news moments with the NDBD (iykyk), and the last year as part of the team that launched
@delosLAtimes
. The joy I've experienced building community and creating work that speaks to people like me has been beyond.
Poet and guest editor
@_joseolivarez
kicks off the next installment of the De Los Latino Poetry series.
How does nature inspire us? These Latino poets dig deep in their roots
@delosLAtimes
@latimes
Are you a college student interested in journalism? Join us Feb. 6 at the L.A. Times Guild Latino Caucus's first-ever Zoom open house! I’m paneling so hope to see you there- register at
Not taking anything away from other great reporting/reporters, simply raising up the need + visible payoff when you hire people who represent the communities they cover. It’s sincere, meaningful- esp for us who grew up in L.A...Talking to the industry here: let’s do more of that
.
@SHG1970
one of the most influential and enduring institutions for Latinx and Chicanx art in Los Angeles names
@jenerate
as its new executive director
The trauma or stresses of immigrants and
#firstgen
folks are complex and show up in so many aspects of our lives— from relationships, health, career. Thank you
@KarenMelissaGa7
for diving into this
I've been inspired and learned so much from the incredibly talented people that were let go. I'm grateful I got to work alongside the best of the best- from breaking news situations, special projects, elections, debates, awards shows and now
@delosLAtimes