Rep. Joaquin Castro to release second GAO report on lack of Latinos in media at National Press Club Newsmaker, Oct. 5

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Sep 28, 2022, 14:38 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, will speak Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club about the lack of representation of Latinos in media, both on screen and behind the scenes.

Castro will release the second of two reports he commissioned from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the underrepresentation of Latinos in media, including Hollywood, news, and book publishing. The first report was released last year, and the second installment covers representation of Latinos in media during the past decade and efforts by media companies to increase workforce diversity.

The latest report will also look at the enforcement of federal equal opportunity requirements and the role of the U.S. government, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, and the Federal Communications Commission.

"The media industry, and Hollywood in particular, is still the main image defining and narrative creating institution in American society, and Latinos are still largely invisible in this industry," Castro said last year at the NPC. "The fact is that the worst offenders in the industry are actually news organizations and publishing houses," Castro said.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Castro is a second-generation Mexican American. After serving five terms as a state legislator in Texas, Castro was elected in 2012 to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 20th Congressional District, which includes large portions of San Antonio. His twin brother, Julián, was mayor of San Antonio and secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Remarks will begin at 10 a.m. followed by a question-and-answer session ending at 11 a.m. This event is open to National Press Club members and credentialed media. Click here to register for the event.

Press Contact: Kate Helster, [email protected], 202-662-7516

SOURCE National Press Club