In Sunday's L.A. Times, author and former LA Weekly staff writer Ruben Martinez discusses L.A.'s two-paper problem, the formal and thematic differences that keep the Times and La Opinion canyons apart. Martinez, starting with an anecdote about he and his abuelita reading two papers, is right on when he describes the Times' way of writing on Others: "There is an urge to 'translate,' rather than integrate perspectives." He reports that only 0.5% of the L.A. newspaper market looks at both the LAT and La Opinion. That should say something about the hunger for bilingual media, right? But his argument is still compelling:
Maybe we need the next generation of language translation software, so that all sides can read one another. How about a multilingual newspaper? Or a paper or website that runs more than one version of the same story, contrasting points of view in the same space? It's a new city — why not truly new media?
There have been echoes of this message going around for some time now. (See here.) The possibilities are thrilling when you imagine newspapers exploring ways to break down language barriers in order to better reflect the reality on L.A.'s streets. Who will take the first step?