Chapter 19: The Precarity and Politics of Media Advocacy Work

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Page ID: 175239

Allison Perlman
University of California Press

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When Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), narrates the history of his organization, he tells a story of continuity and change. The core mission of the group—to integrate Latinas/os into more jobs behind and in front of the camera, ameliorate derogatory images of Latinas/os in the media, and advocate for telecommunications policies that serve the needs of Latina/o publics—has remained consistent since the NHMC was founded in 1986. What has changed, according to Nogales, is the organization’s strategies, which have evolved with the group’s experiences in media activism and advocacy.

19.1: Introduction
Introduction to the goals of this chapter: to examine the actions of media advocacy groups as both long-term work and media work, and the intersection of media advocacy with media production, with a focus on the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
19.2: Media Advocacy as Work
Examining the NHMC's media advocacy over the last several decades as an ongoing, cumulative work process.
19.3: Media Advocacy as Media Work
Examining the NHMC's media work, such as operating a para-industry for training talent and honoring media worker accomplishments, and how it is partly funded by media corporations. Contrasting the NHMC's record with other corporate-supported minority advocacy groups that have taken pro-corporate stances on issues such as media ownership and net neutrality.
19.4: Conclusion – The Precarity and Politics of Media Advocacy Work
Summary of the reasons for precarity in media advocacy work, including challenges posed by the regulatory community, industry interests, the political culture, and other advocacy groups.
19.5: Notes