02/22/2024 03:47:17 PMThe television industry has received its fair share of criticism about its lack of diversity, according to David Lindblom, associate professor in Northern New Mexico College’s (NNMC) Film & Media Arts program. However efforts to address that were evident at the Television Academy Foundation’s 2023 Media Educators Conference he recently attended. “One of the first things you notice is that the TV industry has been paying attention to bringing forth women, minorities and all people that have been marginalized,” Lindblom said. “At every conference event there was some indication of this effort.” Lindblom was awarded an Alex Trebek Legacy Fellowship to attend the event, which also provided a complimentary one-year Television Academy academic membership. The fellowship application gave preference to attendees from minority-serving institutions and asked applicants to describe the diversity of their student body. Lindblom wrote: “Our students are overwhelmingly Hispanic and Native American, some Anglo, some Black and recent immigrants from Mexico. The campus sits near the confluence of the Rio Grande and Chama rivers, the site of the first capital of the "New World," surrounded by eight Native American Pueblos. It is a rural, underserved college cradled by history and beauty, aspiring to serve students from the nearby towns, reservations and mountain villages.”Arin McKennaDavid Lindblom, Associate Professor, Film & Media Artsdlindblom@nnmc.eduFilm & Digital Media Arts