Franky Benítez

Two weeks after CNN’s the “Latino in America” broadcast, the post-show reactions continue. We have done some additional searching of new posts and news, and share one of them here. Let us know what you think.

From Meet The Prensa: The Discontent with “Latino in America:”

The post starts: “I see high chances that the next great report on Latinos in the United States will be entitled “What is it that Latinos want?”

CNN’s documentary “Latino in America” (no official online video as of this writing) debuted last week to great expectations, but so far the response from Latinos has been mostly negative, toward the special and its host Soledad O’Brien.”

We invite you to read the entire Meet The Prensa post, but we would like to offer a few comments on this post from our perspective:

1. The post tries to quickly downplay the general discontent that does exist about the show. Sure, not everyone is negative about “Latino in America,” but you cannot deny the fact that an outpouring of criticism against the show has occurred and that CNN missed the boat in the eyes of many. We honestly don’t care how powerful a reach certain media outlets have (especially when we can argue that social media is just as effective for issues like these), they cannot refute the fact that for many who watched this show, there was only disappointment and strong feelings about this. To say that people who criticized the show because of their lack of details and knowledge is not the way to present a counterargument. We would love to see real examples to counter the criticisms, or else posts like these come off as apologists for major media organizations like CNN.

2. The post concludes: Let’s say it clear: “Latino in America” is not perfect, but it is a great work of television journalism. In four hours it covered a wide range of stories that represent a significant portion of the lives Latinos lead.

We seriously question the “wide range of stories,” and in fact, will argue that it did NOT cover this “wide range.” In the end, we feel that a vast majority of the 4 hours (and yes, we saw all 4 hours), was too immigration-centric and still focused on tired and true media portrayals of Latinos (the timid immigrant who is uncomfortable with speaking English, the angry Anglos who want Latinos to speak English, the struggling Latina who is battling issues of displacement and teen pregnancy, the mom who feels out of place in mainstream society, the “hey, if you want to make it in America, go to Hollywood” mentality, the desire to “fit in,” to name a few). We are NOT saying that these stories are not valid or newsworthy (the stories of the gang members had its poignant moments—even with low riders— as well as that of the two Dominican boys trying to fit in), but we truly believe that CNN missed a golden opportunity and did not focus on trying to balance these stories with other stories of everyday Latinos who are succeeding every day and doing amazing things.

To be “Latino in America” is quite complex these days. And we are still disappointed that CNN took an easier route instead of truly trying to present a more balanced view of this complexity.

If you find us at fault for thinking this way, we think we represent a pretty common feeling among sectors of US Latinos who felt frustrated about the show. Let’s hope CNN thinks about this the next time, and maybe then we will conclude that we witnessed “a great piece of television journalism.”