Creating Culturally Competent Journalists During Trying Times

For the past 10 years, Teresa Puente has been engaged in preparing her students to take on the roles and responsibilities of journalists critical to the functioning of a thriving democracy.

Teresa Puente, journalism professor at Cal State-Long Beach.

As a Cal State-Long Beach journalism professor, Teresa Puente has been on a mission to develop and train students to become culturally competent journalists with a strong desire to cover underserved communities.

The program she's helps lead and shape includes a bilingual magazine, a print newspaper and strong digital presence that serves as the voice of her students' community reporting and writing.

What does this have to do with Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance. Turn out everything.

Becoming an effective journalist during a time of ICE raids, abductions and state inflicted terror can create trauma in the community, including those covering those communities. The Puerto Rican artist's culturally affirming performance created joy and validation for countless Latine folks that needed a boost of joy.

Find out more about these connections during this podcast with Puente and our ImpactoAZ hosts here.

https://youtu.be/6Cz09Ojv3jA?si=_2h-UyC9U0Fqu_w-