Thursday, July 20, 2006

Hispanicnashvillenotebook: Either WKRN or Loring Made Racial "Slip"

Hispanicnashville.com points out that there is no "racial neutrality" in statements in a News 2 report on "angry" Council member J.B. Loring's intention to present a bill that would penalize contractors hiring undocumented workers. In the video tape, Loring says that the "people of foreign race" from whom he receives calls are fed up with the contractors' hiring practices. The printed WKRN report also conveys Loring's statement without quotes. Video Journalist Amy Napier-Viteri does not follow-up in the tape on Loring's statement about race, even though she includes warnings in the report from Yuri Cunza (Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) that the bill could lead to "singling out people because [of] the way they look or appear to be originally from" and even though outspoken illegal immigration foes tend to argue that their opposition stands without regard to race.

I would like to know how during his phone calls J.B. Loring can judge that he is or is not speaking with "people of a foreign race," and I think it is fair to grill him on why that even matters if illegal immigration is not a race issue. However, why didn't WKRN bother to ask him those questions during the interview?

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