PASADENA, CA. – The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) today has lambasted both the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s recent study, “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair”, for excluding Latinos as part of its research and findings, as well as Los Angeles Times reporter Jen Yamato for failing to follow up with the study’s researchers as to why Latinos were not included.

The USC report tracked race, gender and age among 100 directors in the top 100 performing films in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and while it showed significant gains in the hiring practices of black directors in Hollywood, it failed to acknowledge Latinos in any significant way. “Although other, comprehensive research studies have been done in recent years on the lack of Latinos in Hollywood, this USC report, which excluded Latinos in its research, sends the message and perception that Latinos are once again non-existent,” said Alex Nogales, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. “This is important to note because how one is seen is how one is treated, and if we are ignored, then our voices are not heard and the opportunities to be part of this industry becomes more sparse.”

Latinos comprise more than 18% of the U.S. population, are worth approximately $1.5 trillion dollars in purchasing power, and are the biggest movie-goers in the country, buying 24% of all tickets sold at the box office, which allows Hollywood to achieve its significant profit margin. “At the same time, news reporting is becoming more and more of a white and black media world, and journalists are aiding that characterization by not acknowledging Latinos being left out of the discussion,” continued Nogales. “Jen Yamato, the Los Angeles Times reporter who wrote...