Could Latinos End Up Censored Online? It Certainly Looks Like It...

[Commentary] As Latino filmmakers and journalists, we understand that the stories we tell matter. But too often, the stories that are being told on the local news, on cable outlets or on the big screen about Latinos reinforce dangerous stereotypes to the detriment of our community. It is why we are deeply troubled by the impact of a recent court decision on our online free speech rights.

Earlier in January 2014, a federal court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's open Internet rules, which were intended to prevent Internet service providers like Verizon and AT&T from blocking content or discriminating online. Now these companies are free to interfere with Web traffic. We understand the open Internet provides our members and community with the means to speak for themselves, which has been difficult to do in the mainstream media. One reason is that Latinos own few broadcast stations or major entertainment companies. Despite making up 17 percent of the US population, only 4 percent of journalists working at daily newspapers are Latinos and 5.5 percent working at English-language TV stations. This has made us dependent on large media companies to tell our stories. So, in recent years, our members have turned to the Internet to tell the stories that are often ignored by the media. But the court decision will now make it harder for our members to tell those stories since ISPs like Verizon can now block Web content and sites that are relevant to our community.

As the two largest organizations representing Latino journalists and filmmakers, we are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to take quick action to reestablish its legal authority and pass strong Net Neutrality protections. We urge our members and our community to sign the petition from Presente.org that calls on the FCC to preserve Network Neutrality.

[Hugo Balta is President of NAHJ and a coordinating producer for ESPN; Axel Caballero is Executive Director of NALIP & Founder of Cuentame and Metafora Politica]