8:00

To be honest, I never thought much about the U.S. media's coverage of Latin America until I was presented with the challenge of live-blogging this event.

Eventually, I just sat down and brainstormed some memorable headlines relating to stories south of the border. After seriously racking my brain, this is all I could come up with:

1. Mexico, December 2006: Mexican politicians brawl in parliament as Felipe Calderon is sworn in as president
2. United Nations, September 2006: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez likened President Bush to the devil
3. Cuba, July 2006: Cuban leader Fidel Castro undergoes surgery to stop intestinal bleeding
4. Argentina, November 2005: Violent protests erupt in Argentina to protest President Bush's arrival at the Summit of the Americas

Comparing the U.S.' coverage of Latin American to its coverage of the Middle East or Europe is simple - THERE IS NO COMPARISON! There are clearly political and economic issues sweeping across the continent but you wouldn't know it based on the U.S. media's lack of reporting.

Overall I think this forum was very informative. My only suggestion for future panels wishing to discuss this issue is to include the perspective of Latin American citizens living in America and their perspectives on the U.S. media.

For example:

1. Do Latin populations notice or care that the issues in their own home countries are largely ignored by the American media?
2. Where do Latin American populations living in the U.S. obtain coverage of their home countries? Internet? Satellite T.V? Community Newspapers?

7:51

McDonald took a poll of the audience in response to Marques' notion that younger generations do not pay attention to print journalism any longer.

When asked: "How many of you still like the ink?" 3/4 of the audience responded by raising their hands (including me, I still love reading the paper.)

7:45

Marques continues to defend NPR'S reporting in Brazil, saying that extended coverage on issues such as the model AIDS' programs in Brazil is superior. He said he doesn't pay attention to bias and thinks that a good journalist will produce a quality story regardless of the topic.
"If the reporter is a good reporter, he will get the facts."

7:44

Comment from the audience: "I don't think that anti-American sentiment is so much on the rise in Latin America, rather I think it's an anti-Bush sentiment."

7:40

Marques said that the single biggest threat to journalists in Brazil is organized crime and urban violence. He said that burning busses with passengers inside is a new form of terrorism in Rio that has, in some cases killed more civilians than violence in Bagdhad. Journalists that report on these events routinely place their lives in danger doing what they're supposed to do, he said, "reporting the facts."

---Burning busses with passengers inside? How is the American media failing to report on these acts of terrorism?

7:36

With regard to media opression, Rockwell thinks that the continent of Latin America is experiencing a transition. He uses Mexico as an example of a country where journalists are unduly oppressed; he said it's second only to Iraq in terms of life threatening conditions.

7:28

Publications like the Economist, New York Times, La Times and the Financial Times have a fair perspective on countries like Brazil, according to Marques.

He says that sophisticated U.S. media organizations are equally as critical of the Brazilian government as the country's own news outlets.

7:23

Figueras compliments organizations such as the LA Times and NPR for their coverage of Latin America, however the stories are too sporadic to make an impact on American society.

7:17

Figueras feels that in recent years, the Mexican media has been playing a more critical role of the Mexican government than the American Media.

"The U.S. media used to be a very important echo-chamber in Mexico, but in recent years the Mexican media has taken over."

Rockwell observes that international coverage on networks, like CNN, is largely diminished compared to a few years ago.

--This is definitely true! CNN was once a primary source of international news. Now when Britney Spears shaves her head it takes precedence over every international story regardless of what it may be.

7:13

Paulo Sotero Marques, director of the Brazil Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center, said he doesn't pay much attention to U.S. news anymore, rather he considers the BBC to be a model example of effective journalism.

Compared to the rest of Latin America, Marques thinks that countries like Mexico (because of its close proximity) and Brazil receive adequate, if not abundant, media coverage in the United States.

7:06

Jose Carreno Figueras, Washington correspondant for El Universal , thinks that the U.S. media's role in Latin America has diminished in the past couple years. Rick Rockwell, American University Professor and co-author of Media Power in Central America tends to agree, saying that the U.S. acts like a "Bull in a China Shop" when they enter Latin America.

"We go down with the attitude that we're going to fix everything and we're not going to listen to you!"

7:04 Introductions

Tonight's moderator is Mark McDonald, program director at WAMU. His brief introduction about the U.S. media's coverage of Latin America - or lack thereof- sets the stage for tonight's discussion.

American Forum - Reporting on Latin American: Hit or Miss?

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007
Time: 7-8 p.m.
Location: American University, Ward 1

Latin America is undereported by the U.S. mainstream media, despite many of the world's most compelling stories taking place south of the border The crises of poverty and civil war continue to spread in many countries across the region , while anti-American sentiment is stronger than ever from Columbia to Argentina.

Journalists are among the many disadvantaged groups facing repression, censorship and intimidation in Latin American nations, by politicians who use them as tools for propaganda rather than dialogue.

Tonight's forum will address the following issues:

1. Why is Latin American so poorly covered by North American news organizations?
2. How can we better access the quality reporting that emerges from this region?
3. Does the media intentionally shy away from covering some of the world's most newsworthy issues taking place in Latin American?

Check back at 7 p.m. for live coverage of tonight's American Forum.