Reports & Papers Jan 1, 1999

Should American Journalism Make Us Americans?

Focus Areas

Civic Information, Media Business Models, Media Creation, Media Standards & Practices, Policy & Impact

A paper by Jim Sleeper, fall 1998 fellow, asks if by offering a bilingual product, newspapers are undermining a united sense of citizenship. The Miami Herald began producing a Spanish-language version of its paper to attract the growing population of former Cubans and Latin Americans in the city. Sleeper argues that this move contributes to a decline in common civic engagement, and represents a negative change for American society.

Download the paper (PDF).