Latina woman ideal

By Kristin Hickman
Adelante staff writer

National Public Radio correspondent Mandalit del Barco knows the power of storytelling.
Born to a Peruvian journalist and Mexican-American anthropologist, her family life and career in radio journalism have taken her anywhere from Kansas to New York to Peru. In “Radio Activa: The Story Behind the Story,” Del Barco presented her radio stories and her transcontinental life story to an audience on Oct. 13 at Gannett Hall on the MU Campus.
Del Barco’s stories feature a multicultural or international perspective, and she shared a few with the audience to illustrate the variety of themes available on such a beat: stories on the Latino reaction to Sept. 11, the Puerto Rican hip-hop phenomenon in New York, the reactions of Peruvians who lost loved ones to the guerilla movement in New York, and what it’s like to celebrate Christmas in a Mexican-American-Peruvian household.
Del Barco also focused on her coverage of the California recall vote and the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California. She said entertainers, like those on Entertainment Tonight! or other celebrity interview shows, get more access to political candidates than journalists.
“This blurs the line between entertainment and journalism,” del Barco said.
During the question-and-answer session, del Barco also shared her belief in radio as enhanced news.
“Radio is print plus,” del Barco said. “Radio is print plus the sounds that give it something extra.”
She said print journalism is more personal and tangible than radio because it can be saved and later looked back on, so it may look like people bypass radio as a news source.
“It’s not a dying form of journalism,” she said, after mentioning how over 20 million listeners tune in to NPR. “It’s just overlooked.”
Ruth Walters, a Mexican-American immigrant and longtime Columbia resident, said del Barco’s radio stories and life history elicited both laughter and tears. She not only enjoyed the presentation, but said she could relate to del Barco.
Born in Lima, Peru, del Barco moved to Kansas when she was a year old, and she never got to return to her homeland until 1999, when she went as a Fulbright scholar. She told the audience of her adventures with the mini-disc recorder and the microphone, gathering stories from her country’s history. It was a story that resonated for Walters, who is preparing her grown children for a similar journey to their mother’s homeland to discover their own roots.
“I have told my children lots of stories about growing up in Mexico,” Walters said. “We always talk about how my daughter will go to Mexico with a tape recorder and talk to all her relatives that she doesn’t know.”
Del Barco’s unique history may have hit home with audience members like Walters, but it also influenced her career and priorities. She didn’t call her storytelling background an “advantage,” but she said her parents were well-educated and made her aware of storytelling when she was very young.
“It does make a difference what you’re exposed to as a child,” del Barco said. “But I’ve got my own style.”
She described the importance of creativity and intelligence to her upbringing and career in journalism.
“My motto in journalism has always been to enjoy the process and be creative in my storytelling,” del Barco said. “The destination really is the journey.”