About CCNMA

Purpose & Mission

 

CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California is a non-profit, professional organization that aims to promote diversity in the news media by providing encouragement, scholarships and educational programs for Latinos pursuing careers in journalism. The organization’s mission is to foster an accurate and fair portrayal of Latinos in the news, and to promote the social, economic and professional advancement of Latino journalists.

CCNMA accomplishes its mission by:

  • Providing educational and financial assistance, and job placement for journalism students.

  • Providing professional members with information, training, support and job placement.

  • Providing news media employers with support in bringing diversity to their newsrooms.

  • Monitoring coverage of communities of color to ensure it is accurate and fair.

 

History

CCNMA was founded in 1972 in Los Angeles, and it is the oldest regional organization of journalists of color in the country. The association first offered scholarships in 1976 to Latino journalism students, and in 1978 held its first job fair. In 1979 an executive office was established at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication. In 2012 CCNMA relocated to Santa Monica, Ca. where we are now housed by the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. CCNMA is widely respected within the industry for its educational and professional programs, which have helped increase the number of journalists of color in the news media. This includes sponsoring workshops, a scholarship program which has awarded more than $800,000 to more than 800 students, and staging the largest job fair on the West Coast for journalists of color.

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Financial & Operating Support

CCNMA has received support from foundations and media companies including: The Robert F. Kennedy Foundation, The Freedom Forum, the Times Mirror Foundation, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times Foundation, McClatchy Newspapers, KABC-TV/ABC, KNBC-TV/NBC, KCBS-TV/CBS, KTLA/Tribune, Fox, Univision, and many other corporate donors.

 

Educational & Professional Programs

CCNMA Scholarship Fund

Since 1976, CCNMA has awarded more than $800,000 in scholarships to more than 800 Latino students pursuing careers in journalism. Among the scholarships awarded are the Joel Garcia Memorial and Frank del Olmo Memorial scholarships.

Ruben Salazar Journalism Awards

CCNMA annually recognizes California news media for journalism excellence that contributes to a better understanding of Latinos in four categories: Print, Television, Radio and Photography. For more information, click here.

Journalism Opportunities Conference

Since 1978, the Journalism Opportunities Conference (JOC) has helped pave the way for student journalists of color to obtain their first jobs and for experienced professionals to advance their careers. The JOC is the largest job fair on the West Coast for Journalists of color.

Website

CCNMA provides job postings, application forms and news for its members and supporters on its Internet web site at www.ccnma.org.

Workshops

CCNMA hosts journalism workshops for high school and college students at universities throughout California, as well as skills and management training sessions and seminars.