Evil Conservative Radio: First Latina Governor's Historic .

outlets like the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune - even FoxNews.com - neglected to observe her Hispanic heritage, while others such as the New York Times failed to address the events as she took the oath during a chilly outdoor ceremony on the Santa Fe Plaza.The apparent oversight prompted some media analysts to wonder why Martinez - as easily as a smattering of conservative Hispanics - has been left largely out of the home news spotlight."The media is not paid sufficient aid to the act of Hispanic conservatives who are elected to statewide offices and to Congress, especially in the western states," said Mike Gonzalez, vice chairman of communicating at the Heritage Foundation and a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal."It goes against the narrative" of the "free media," he said, adding that the word industry has long classified Hispanics as "another broad group."Martinez`s story is an impressive one. The 51-year-old former district attorney, from middle class roots in El Paso, graduated near the top of her high school year before attending the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Oklahoma College of Law. In 1996, Martinez was elected district attorney of the state`s 3rd Judicial District, which covers heavily-Democratic Doa Ana County. Touting herself as a no-nonsense prosecutor during the 2010 gubernatorial election, Martinez defeated the state`s Democratic lieutenant governor, Diane Denish.But the Republican`s rise to statewide office garnered little aid in the national spotlight overall.The Associated Press made mention of Martinez's historic inauguration in a news wire Jan. 1, acknowledging her as the first female governor of the state, while omitting her Hispanic heritage. That account was picked up by various media outlets including the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune websites. FoxNews.com also ran the AP story that day, but Fox News Latino had covered Martinez's candidacy and triumph in a serial of election articles beginning in October.The AP later updated its Jan.1 inauguration day wire mentioning her as the first Latina governor. A look of the New York Times website yielded no stories on Martinez`s historic inauguration, and CNN mentioned her position as the nation's "first Hispanic female governor" in a broadcast on Jan. 2.Some media analysts note that coverage of Martinez`s victory pales in comparison to early history-making Hispanics, like Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor, whose confirmation to the high court dominated the headlines for months."I believe it`s quite obvious that first Latino Democrats are celebrated but first Latino Republicans are the objects of scorn," said Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the conservative Media Research Center. "The media wants the world to conceive of the Republican Party as an old white guy party and they`ll downplay anything that contradicts with that image."Not so, says Ari Rabin-Havt, executive vice chairman of Media Matters, a left-leaning media watchdog group."Milestones should be renowned and we should celebrate diversity," he said, "But the thought that the progressive media is somehow covering this up is altogether ridiculous."Rabin-Havt was ready to peak out that Fox News - considered by some as an option to the mainstream media - gave little coverage of Martinez`s historic inauguration."That speaks volumes," he said.He too called the equivalence between Martinez and Sotomayor unfair, saying the justice`s nomination and confirmation hearing was a "national process," warranting ongoing national attention.Other media observers, meanwhile, suggest that Martinez - not the media - set the path for her own coverage.The Republican has diverted attention away from her ethnicity in public, including an interview published by Fox News Latino in which she said she hopes history will set her by her achievements as governor rather than by her run or gender."I`m really gallant of what I have established as a distaff and as a Latina, but it has come with a lot of difficult study and education, and I acknowledge that I give to raise myself beyond the fact that I`m a distaff and Latina," Martinez told Latina magazine."You`re actually speaking to the first Latina governor of New Mexico and only that_As a distaff and a Latina-it`s not that that will be historic. It will be the results."First Latina Governor's Historic Inauguration Gets Little National News Coverage - FoxNews.com