Posted on 01/27/2006 7:19:40 AM PST by Nevadan
KLAS-TV, Channel 8's new anchor, Denise Valdez, was included in a 1996 Los Angeles Times story about a trend among newscasters who changed from Anglo to ethnic names to take advantage of federal affirmative-action rules designed to benefit minorities.
The practice was questioned, the Times said, by news professionals and minority activists, "who argue that it cheapens the concept of affirmative action and raises troubling issues of journalistic ethics."
Valdez, who worked in San Antonio and Dallas before going to KNBC in Los Angeles, acknowledged to the Times that she had changed her last name for professional reasons, saying it was "advantageous in this business."
She said she considers herself part Latina, and "I'm sure I'm one of many people who have done it." She added that it was "not something I want to broadcast to the public."
Valdez, who fills the vacancy left by the death of Polly Gonzalez in a traffic accident, will co-anchor the noon broadcast with Gary Waddell and the 4:30 p.m. newscast with Dave Courvoisier beginning Monday.
Bob Stoldal, vice president of news at KLAS, did not return calls for comment by deadline.
*sigh*
I love that show so much. Possibly the best ever on TV.
Hell, Pat Morita was born Pat and decided to start his career as Noriyuki Morita (his father's name) because he figured it gave him Asian cred.
I think you better ask Sen. Specter about that. He's the expert on Scottish law.
That does it. I'm calling a lawyer today to get my name changed to:
Shaquille Hirohito Crazy-Horse Nanook Fidel Tse-Tung
Now, I'm just an average white guy, but I consider myself to be part of the peoples reflected in that name. In sort of an existential sense, you know. A one-man Rainbow Coalition.
Thanks to you, we now know Denise's true name; can't say that for the meat of the article or the link.
Good luck, Shaq!!
All those poor people with the last name Smith, what are they to do now? I guess we can expect the Smith pages in the phone book to start shrinking?
The Smiths, the Joneses, a lot of others. I'm just worried about how my new name is going to be listed.
Yes... back in the 70's the LAUSD had forced bussing in order to integrate the schools... My roommate in college, a nice Beverly Hills Jewish boy named David Greene, had a sister named Esther Gomez... she had changed her name to a "Spanish Surname" in order to keep from being bussed to a different High School.
I'm sure most people could find that they're part Latino--or some other favored ethnic group--if they look far enough up the family tree.
So Vicente Fox wouldn't be protected? That's hilarious.
Hey, I don't blame her, really. With the silly skin-deep preferences we are showing people these days, I have seriously thought of "re"-identifying myself as African-American. Heck, it appears very likely that being gay will place you in a preferential place so I'll check that box off, too, if it'll help me out. If the rules of the game are stupid, then you may as well play along for your benefit.
Geraldo's father is Puerto Rican and his mother Jewish.
Adillo Culera?
I used to work for the government (didn't last long), and I was stunned to find out that the only non-protected class of government employees is non-Veteran, non-orphan-of-Veteran, non-disabled white men under 40 years of age. I just thought that was wrong.
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