Because of this, most mainstream journalism and media is produced in English before it is produced in any other language. Although some larger journalism corporations, like The New York Times, offer Spanish translations of articles, not every story is translated. Even if the story is translated, when a story is written with the intent of being read in English, there are certain ideas, words and phrases that do not translate to another language.
At Ohio University, there are not many opportunities for students to explore multilingual journalism. There is little multilingual journalism produced from student media or in journalism classrooms. While OU has an array of student publications, including magazines, newspapers, radio stations and more, writing and publishing in English is the only option available to multilingual readers and student journalists learning the craft.
“The world opens up to you when you speak another language.” —Valeria Fernández, an investigative bilingual journalist
Joaquín Vigo, a sophomore majoring in linguistics, feels more could be done in the realm of promoting bilingual journalism. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Vigo speaks Spanish as his first language. Since moving to the U.S., he has consumed journalism in both Spanish and English but gives preference to one under certain circumstances.
“I like to keep a good balance of both,” Vigo said. “Generally, there’s more high-quality media in English … I enjoy being able to keep up on events in Spanish, especially when news in Spanish speaking places might not necessarily be covered.”
Vigo has never seen any sort of media in Spanish in Athens or from the university while attending OU.
“I don’t think I’ve ever found any OU resource or announcement or news that’s in a language that is not English,” Vigo said. “I don't think they (OU) have done a good job of that. I don’t know if it's necessarily their fault because, to be fair, most people here only speak English.”
Lenny Massiel Cauich Maldonado, a doctoral student studying mass communication, agrees with Vigo in that there are not many bilingual resources at OU. Originally from Mexico, Cauich Maldonado has two master’s degrees, one from West Virginia University in Spanish, and the other from OU in Latin American Studies. She is currently a teaching assistant for an introductory journalism class at OU.
“To promote bilingual journalism, I believe there should be a bilingual journalism class offered: a Spanish for journalists,” Cauich Maldonado said. “I also believe there should be a collaboration with the Department of Modern Languages. They are the only ones who work in Spanish at the university.”
Although the promotion of bilingual journalism is important at the university level, it is also vital at the professional level. The journalism field continues to see a demand for journalists who can report in one, two or even more languages. According to TechRepublic, bilingual remote jobs have spiked 30% since the start of the pandemic.
La Prensa is a weekly newspaper that serves the Latino communities in Ohio and Michigan. The oldest bilingual publication in the region, La Prensa covers all different types of issues, including news, the arts, immigration, Hispanic culture and, most notably, stories that concern the Spanish speaking community. The publication reports around 30% to 40% of its content in Spanish and 60% to 70% of its content in English.
Rico Neller is the founder of La Prensa, as well as the editor. The newspaper is based in Toledo, Ohio. Neller realized the community did not have any bilingual publications and was inspired to start one. Although he does not have a degree in journalism, Neller had dabbled in the field previously through working at his college’s newspaper. Additionally, Neller spent a large part of his adolescence in South America and Mexico, where he became fluent in the language and developed a passion for covering the Spanish speaking community.
Neller said the hardest part of running a bilingual newspaper is finding reporters and writers who can report and write in Spanish. It’s especially difficult to find reporters who can write quality stories in both languages, especially adhering to AP Style, he said.
Adrianne Chasteen, the general manager at La Prensa, said when it comes to choosing what is written in Spanish, it depends on the relevancy to the readers.
“If we have something geared toward immigration or about the culture, of course, we probably would have it in Spanish,” Chasteen said.
For Chasteen, a benefit of bilingual journalism is that it can serve as a way to be able to tell a full story.
“There's more than one side to a story,” Chasteen said. “First and foremost … you can say something in English, and you can translate it in Spanish and it’s not going to say the same thing. I think that in itself is also very important because if you’re targeting an audience that speaks Spanish then … you want them to trust you.”
La Prensa has also helped to change the landscape of local journalism in the Midwest since it was started.
“I would like to think that we’re considered a voice,” Chasteen continued. “When Rico started the publication in ‘89, people didn’t even know what the word ‘Hispanic’ meant … Wherever our newspaper is, we care about what the Hispanic community in the area is going through, what issues they have, what needs to be brought out to the community.”
Chasteen said the most rewarding part of working in bilingual media is being able to connect with the community. She said her work at La Prensa has given her the ability to understand the Hispanic culture in a more intimate way.
“I think in any kind of community, if there’s a certain amount of culture (and) different language, then I think it should always be embraced,” Chasteen said.
OU and La Prensa are both based out of the Midwest, where the Hispanic and language landscapes vary differently than other parts of the U.S. The nation’s largest Spanish speaking populations are concentrated in the Southwest, most notably in California, Texas and Arizona. Bilingualism is more prevalent, and the demand for Spanish news coverage is higher.
Valeria Fernández is an investigative, bilingual journalist based out of Arizona who focuses on amplifying the voices of immigrants. Originally from Uruguay, Fernández had the opportunity to enter into the journalism industry because she spoke Spanish and English. Her first journalist job was at La Voz, a publication written mainly for the immigrant population in Arizona.
Fernández said she was in the minority in terms of writers who spoke English, putting her in a unique position.
“The challenge at the time was that most of the reporters, including the editors of the publication, only spoke Spanish,” Fernández said. “Access to a number of stories and sources, especially in government, was limited … I came in and my skills in English and Spanish helped me immensely.”
Now, Fernández is the managing editor for palabra., an online publication founded in 2019 where National Association of Hispanic Journalists journalists cover Latino communities in the U.S. and abroad. As managing editor, Fernández recruits journalists and supervises the entire publishing process of each story, among other duties. palabra. also publishes in Spanish and English, and Fernández said it was founded to support independent freelance journalists.
Fernández looks at journalism as a lifestyle rather than a profession. She said the most rewarding part of journalism is the people.
“It’s the relationships you build with people that you meet,” Fernández said. “You continue to be in touch for many years to come. To be there, to witness life happening, events happening, some of them very hard, some of them really beautiful … For me, journalism is a way of living.”
Journalism is a privilege because it has the ability to impact so many people, Fernández said. She said her ability to speak Spanish has given her the ability to build stronger relationships with her sources.
“It’s the relationships you build with people that you meet,” Fernández said. “You continue to be in touch for many years to come. To be there, to witness life happening, events happening, some of them very hard, some of them really beautiful … For me, journalism is a way of living.” —Valeria Fernández, an investigative, bilingual journalist
A specific story that shaped Fernández’s life and career was one she worked on about two brothers pulled over by Border Patrol on their way back from a soccer game. The boys were deported to Mexico because they did not have Social Security numbers despite having come to the U.S. at one and four years old. Fernández began digging in and spoke to the boys’ mother as well as Border Patrol Officials.
“Before I could write the article that they were deported, … these kids were brought back from Mexico,” Fernández said. “Border Patrol went, got them and brought them back because they had made a mistake. Never in history have I heard of someone being ‘undeported,’ and that happened because I got involved.”
Fernández said it is important to her to keep in mind the audience she is writing for. She says being bilingual is not just available to people who grew up speaking another language, but rather for anyone who has the passion to communicate with other cultures.
“The world opens up to you when you speak another language,” Fernández said. “It allows you to understand other cultures too.”
The ability to forge trust and connections with sources and readers is much easier when both parties can speak the same language.
“People that are bilingual journalists are bridges between communities,” Fernández said. “They have this wonderful gift of bringing new understanding in a time where there is so much dissonance and we’re not hearing each other. It’s like having the ability to tell a story in the right way for a certain audience.”
Correction: A previous version of this article misrepresented Lenny Massiel Cauich Maldonado’s name as just “Maldonado,” misrepresented Cauich Maldonado’s thoughts on the journalism school’s offerings of bilingual classes, and incorrectly listed that she published graphic novels in English and Spanish.