NHMC President Issues Statement on the Take and John and Ken Off the Air Campaign

Alex Nogales, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, NHMC, has issued today the following statement regarding the Take and John and Ken Off the Air Campaign:

“In our most recent demonstration a crowd lined the street outside of Clear Channel’s office building in Burbank, California, protesting KFI AM 640′s talk radio haters, John and Ken. In solidarity, people from all walks of life joined together to stand up against hate speech in media. This demonstration was a win for the people of Los Angeles and for the Latino community in particular. For years, John and Ken have terrorized the Latino community, calling us pigs and thieves, and breeding intolerance and fear in their listeners.

Now, Latino leaders, in a far-reaching coalition of organizations – from Leauge of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) to National Council of La Raza (NCLR), from Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) to Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), from NHMC and beyond – are standing united against John and Ken’s steady stream of hate and misinformation. Notably, a number of non-Latino groups have also joined the effort, including the Asian American Justice Center, the Jewish Labor Committee Western Region, the Communications Workers of America, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and the United Church of Christ, among others. Many are saying the same thing “John and Ken must go.” They are not serving the public interest, but rather creating an atmosphere of hate, which is manifesting itself in hate crimes against Latinos.

In addition, many responsible advertisers have already decided that they do not want to be associated with John and Ken, including AT&T Wireless, Verizon, Von’s and Ralph’s, among others. NHMC expects that many others will follow suit in the coming week. [For a full list of advertisers please visit NHMC's  website.]

For too long, John and Ken have spit venom for ratings and money. The time is now for the people to rise up and demand a more accountable media and to demand that John and Ken be removed from the air. At a time when hate crimes against Latinos in California have skyrocketed by almost 50% and 40% in our nation’s capital in just the past year, there is no better time than now to demand responsible broadcasting to preserve not only our democracy but also peace. And that is exactly what a growing coalition of almost forty organizations is seeking.”

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About NHMC

The National Hispanic Media Coalition is a non-partisan, non-profit, media advocacy and civil rights organization established in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. Its mission is to improve the image of American Latinos as portrayed by the media, increase the number of American Latinos employed in all facets of the media and telecommunications industries, and advocate for media and telecommunications policies that benefit Latinos and other people of color. Learn more at www.nhmc.org.

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