Juan Gonzalez

Sitting in on Juan Gonzalez's visit was an interesting trip through the history of minorities and the way they impacted media. I had never heard of Gonzalez before this evening. I was overwhelmed with his appreciation of the history of hispanics and blacks in journalism until I learned he was hired at the NY Daily News just months after it became policy to employ minorities. Gonzalez believes it is that rule that give him a job at such a prestigious daily newspaper. The instances of race riots and differences in the way these pioneers saw journalism was revolutionary. Identifying the propaganda and corruption within mainstream journalism was key for the progress made in journalism.
Gonzalez spoke of one advance after the other. The reason for new advances in journalism was the decentralization of each new phase of journalism. First came the U.S postal system, after that was decentralized by the government, the radio became a tool for journalists to use for protesting. Television and the internet eventually came about. I believe the internet is the best tool yet. Government can do their best to regulate what information is released, but it is just too big, too open to the public and too free for the government to begin to regulate the information.
Gonzalez is an inspiration to all young journalists, especially hispanic and black journalists.