By and for Latinos: The Los Angeles Times and the Tension Between Agency and Structure

In 2023, the Los Angeles Times launched De Los, a multi-media platform designed for young, acculturated Latinxs. While the launch of De Los may signify a gesture of inclusion, it also represents an ongoing effort by the Times to cultivate a viable Latinx subscriber base. This study contributes the literature by examining the various ways in which Latinx journalists navigate organizational structures for their own purposes. Focusing on De Los as a case study, I examine the strategies used by Latinx journalists to create a dedicated Latinx space. I ground my arguments in a Political Economy approach combined with Critical Media Studies, a line of inquiry meant to account for the activities of practitioners who engage in moments of creativity and struggle over representation. Based on an analysis of strategic documents, press statements, and interviews with the platform's co-creators, I found that Latinx practitioners have been able to exploit economic and demographic disruptions that were occurring within the marketplace. However, I also found that while De Los may have been imagined as a space "created for and by Latinxs," external pressures (primarily economic) profoundly shape how the platform serves its mission of representing the Latinx experience.