The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) strengthens its capacity-building assistance to Hispanic community-based organizations (CBOs) and its research, policy analysis, and advocacy efforts through its Office of Media Relations (OMR). This eight-person bilingual team works to maximize accurate and responsible news coverage of issues of concern to the U.S. Latino community and advance the mission of NCLR.

During the last decade, NCLR’s visibility and prominence have grown significantly as a result of OMR’s work. The NCLR Annual Conference receives important press coverage and is an integral part of the U.S. Latino calendar of events. The press office also promotes and disseminates NCLR’s publications, such as research and policy papers, training materials, statistical analyses, fact sheets, and issue briefs to the media and public. OMR also hosts numerous press conferences and public events throughout the year to raise awareness of issues that are important to Hispanics and to promote NCLR’s advocacy and programmatic agendas.

In addition to responding to significant inquiries from the media, OMR reviews and edits content for the NCLR website, oversees quality control and in-house design and desktop publishing, and provides support for other public information activity, including public service announcements in the Spanish-speaking community. NCLR has an extensive media database, reflecting contacts from throughout the country and abroad in mainstream and specialized outlets (TV, print, radio, and news services) in English and Spanish. One of OMR’s principal media tactics is the use of e-blasts to communicate information. E-blasts can reach up to 2,500 recipients, depending on the target audience.