Latino Publication Called-out for Mocking Georgia Governor

We were supposed to have been past this.

I know it hasn’t been too long since President Obama made a speech, at a Tucson memorial for the victims of the infamous massacre, that was supposed to have ushered-in an era of political civility. But we won’t let time be an excuse, especially when we call-out one of our own.

CNN reports that Rafael Navarro, editor of the Spanish language El Nuevo Georgia, has been criticized for publishing a photo of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal that depicts him as a Nazi. Here’s how CNN reports it:

The photo illustration, published in the paper’s January 6 edition, shows Republican Gov. Nathan Deal wearing a Nazi uniform, a swastika armband and a Hitler-like mustache.
The accompanying story, entitled “Repression in the Age of Deal,” recaps an ethics investigation against Deal and talks about the governor’s past financial troubles. The full-page article also quotes local community leaders forecasting tough times ahead for illegal immigrants in the state.

In his defense Navarro said “the picture represents the fear immigrants in Georgia feel with the arrival of Deal to the state’s top office, because of Deal’s strong anti-immigrant rhetoric during the last campaign.” The date of publication precedes the President’s speech, and if we were to use the speech as  a watershed moment then editor Navarro is clear on a technicality. He’s also clear on the basis of the first amendment. But is he clear of criticism on the basis of Latino community norms  and standards of decency?

I think the universal Latino standard of decency sits with the idea “what would mother think?” Not that the idea would stop folks form doing certain things, but it would cause a moment and a tinge of guilt, and that keeps most of us in line. We are, after all, bien educados.

So where does this leave editor Navarro? He’s already catching grief over the photo. Rep. Pedro Marin, one of two Latino legislators in Georgia, called the photo disrespectful.

El Nuevo Georgia prints about 40,000 copies every month. Navarro admits that after other local media started to report on the controversy, traffic to the paper’s website rose to record levels.

Reactions from El Nuevo Georgia’s readers have been strong. Sometimes the reprimand we receive at home is worse than what we get in public.