For Ethnic Press, Access Is Separate, Unequal

Government agencies "often don't return phone calls or provide relevant information" to the ethnic press, according to a survey by the Independent Press Association-New York. The association is a network of 115 "immigrant, African-American, and community newspapers." The most unhelpful federal agencies were the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Affairs, and the Department of Labor. Unhelpful New York City agencies included the police, fire department, mayor's office and Department of Education. The survey found that "timely delivery of information from government agencies" to ethnic media reporters occurs just half of the time.