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Daniel Hernandez's post about the white journalists living with a Latino family near MacArthur Park has attracted a number of commenters who agree with him that it's a misguided and in some ways offensive project. The Los Angeles editor of Spot.us, which is helping fund the project, responds in the comments. Some excerpts:
- I am so DISTURBED. I can't believe that people actually think this is an important, ground-breaking project. I'm all in favor of telling untold stories, but absolutely not from this perspective.
- Its been a long time since I grew up and lived in LA but The Entryway brought me back to the horrible racism that exists in that city, and I understand once again how it took me so many years to overcome the damage inside.
- Our project is long-term and posting helps the young journalists record an emotional experience while the main reporting continues and as they work to produce detailed stories about the people and the community they are living in. Those stories will publish on Spot.Us in later months or for editorial partners. As a journalist who moves between cultures, and as someone who lived in Mexico City for six years, I understand the need for sensitivity and clarity when tackling these assignments. We always aim to do more and dig beyond the apparent. (Anh Do, editor of LA.Spot.Us)
- Anh: I'm disappointed you would stand by this. Imagine the furor if the OC Register asked a reporter to live in Little Saigon for a year, and the first dispatches played up the "exotic" nature of Vietnamese. Viet activists would rightfully raise hell. Please tell the Annenberg people we need more representation of underserved communities in journalism and less privileged young women trying to find themselves at the expense of a family. (Journalist Gustavo Arellano, who knows Do from Orange County)