Latinos Split on Disney’s Motivations

The National Hispanic Media Coalition, which launched a boycott against the Walt Disney Co. and Disney-owned ABC last April for what it called discriminatory hiring practices against Latinos, is blasting a Latino civil rights organization for going into partnership with the television network.

Alex Nogales, president of the coalition, accused the Washington-based National Council of La Raza of “selling out” for arranging a deal with ABC for the broadcast of the group’s entertainment awards show next summer as a television special.

“They are allowing themselves to be used,” Nogales said of the National Council of La Raza. “This group is being used by Disney to apologize for their discriminatory practices.”

Nogales also accused Disney of “buying its way into the Latino community.” In addition to the National Council of La Raza, he said that Disney has given money to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), another civil rights organization.

“Every time we complain, Disney goes out and spends money like no one’s business,” Nogales said. “They want to buy everyone off so they’re not criticized. If it were not for our actions, this would not be going on.”

The agreement between ABC and La Raza, Nogales said, strikes a blow to efforts by the coalition to pressure Disney to improve Latino representation in the company, particularly at the management level.

“Yes, this undercuts our efforts,” he said. “By implication, these groups are supporting Disney.”

Raul Yzaguirre, National Council of La Raza president, said he was “sorry that Nogales made those comments. Our agendas are absolutely the same. We just have a different way of going about our objectives. I don’t think the notion that we’re being bought off is warranted.”

Not only is the organization not “selling out” to Disney, Yzaguirre said, but it is actually paying the Disney-owned network more than $500,000 to air the 1998 American Latino Media Arts Awards (formerly called the Bravo Awards), which honor Latino performers in movies and television.

In a type of deal more commonly made by local stations than networks, the National Council of La Raza is purchasing a two-hour block of prime time on a Thursday night during the summer for the broadcast of the awards ceremony, which will be taped April 19. The council then keeps any advertising revenue for itself; it already has sold all the commercial time to companies that include Ford Motor Co., Coca-Cola Co. and General Motors.

Council leaders said they also had pitched the special to other networks but that only ABC was interested.

Larry Trejo, national director of public relations for the League of United Latin American Citizens, also rejected Nogales complaints. “We have had numerous meetings with the National Hispanic Media Coalition,” he said, “and we have never been shown any information by them that showed us that it’s not better to talk and negotiate with Disney. We feel strongly that Disney and ABC have made progress in this area. The broadcast of this awards show is a very positive step.”

Disney spokesman John Dryer called Nogales’ charges “absolutely false. It just sounds like sour grapes. This is a worthwhile awards program that will show achievements of Latinos to a very wide national audience in prime time.” A spokesman for ABC termed Nogales’ accusations “ridiculous.”

The Los Angeles-based National Hispanic Media Coalition has been at odds with ABC for more than two years over the quantity and quality of Latino depictions on the air, and for the hiring of Latinos at the network. It recently called on the Federal Communications Commission to deny the license renewals of Disney’s three Los Angeles-based radio stations because of the company’s alleged failure to hire enough Latinos.

Yzaguirre said his group had been talking with ABC “long before there was any discussion of a boycott by the coalition. Our agenda includes better programming, more positive images of Latinos and more employment at the company.”

He said the entire entertainment industry generally “has not done a good job in the hiring or portrayal of Latinos.” He noted that a study commissioned by La Raza last year had concluded that portrayals of Latinos in prime-time television have increased and improved but are still largely stereotypical and far from proportional to the growing Latino population in the United States.

“We’re going to be vigorous in our advocacy, but will continue to work in good faith with people who want to do something,” Yzaguirre said. “Disney and ABC have stepped up to the plate.”

Because of their discussions, Yzaguirre said, ABC has agreed to show the Latino-themed films “Selena” and “A Walk in the Clouds” next year, in addition to broadcasting the awards.

“These are important steps,” Yzaguirre said. “It’s an important beginning. But obviously we want to see more and will advocate for more.”

Nogales said he would announce a new strategy for the Disney/ABC boycott within a few weeks. “We will not stop,” he said.