New America Award honors best of media collaboration.(VARYING THE VOICE)

The ethnic media in the United States isn't exactly new: The first-ever printed news here took the form of hojas volantes (flying pages) or relaciones (reports), small, bilingual booklets that kept people in the Spanish colonies up to date. Then, over the first half of the 19th century, newspapers sprang up to serve Latinos, blacks and American Indians, thus laying the foundations for U.S. journalism as a whole.

The authors of the book, Racism, Sexism and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America, tell this history in part to show the ongoing need for targeted media. Niche news outlets have long challenged the dominant portrayal of ethnic minority groups and provided an alternative voice and a lifeline for communities of color.

Authors …