Abstract

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States. More than 42 million people speak it at home and it is the most learned language other than English in the country. This project centers the attention on the role of bilingual Spanish language speakers in the American news media industry, the challenges they face and the opportunities they encounter upon their professional careers. I have interviewed 7 Hispanic linguists and journalists (mainly from the Arizona area) to gather their input on reporting in the U.S. as a Hispanic journalist. The broadcast and radio journalists reflected on their ties to Spanish, such as their accents and their pronunciation of certain words, and the feedback they received from the public. Linguists dived into the necessity for the permanence of Spanish as a heritage language and how Spanish as a heritage language journalists can contribute to society by expanding diversity. From a critical perspective, this project reflects on how Hispanic journalists in the U.S. should be allowed to continue to speak in the manner of their culture as long as they can get the point across and it does not affect the message. Prevalent themes in the discussion are discrimination, accents, bilingualism, and Spanish as a heritage language. 

Keywords: accent, accent reduction, bilingualism, Spanish, Spanish as a heritage language, Hispanic, Hispanic journalists, discrimination, pronunciation, standard language