For Immediate release

April 7, 2010

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg accompanied by NY Community Media Director Juana Ponce de León, Stacey Cumberbatch, Director of NYC Census 2010 Office, Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs Fatima Shama, and Census Bureau Regional Director Tony Farthing, addressing ethnic and community  media at City Hall on April 7. –Photo by Alexandra Slabiz

 NEW YORK: At a press event held in the Blue Room in City Hall today,  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on the media to inform their readers on the level of participation so far registered by different communities across the City and to help deliver the message on the importance of participation in the count.  It is the last call before the April 15 deadline to mail in the Census form.

"A low response rate could have very serious consequences for our city. For each person who is not counted in the Census, the City loses about $3,000 in Federal aid every year, money that could be spent on services our communities all want and need," Bloomberg said, adding that only 48 percent of 2010 Census forms had been returned by City households, compared to 62 percent nationwide.

Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs Fatima Shama made emphasis on the importance of the Census illustrating the need s of children now, who need education and healthcare. If parents do not act now, she said, "it will be 10 years before this sort of help will come around again."

City Census Coordinator Stacy Cumberbatch and Census Regional Director Tony Farthing informed in detail on the response rates in five boroughs, and indicated there has been an uptick in certain neighborhoods, although overall the city is tracking similarly as in the Census 2000. In response to a question regarding the flat performance, the Mayor offered that it could be due to the constant renewal of immigrant communities with new migrations and the need to deliver the message to persons unfamiliar with the Census count.

Echoing the Mayor's comments on the need for communities to overcome some level of fear, NYCMA Executive Director Juan Ponce de León pointed to the in-depth  knowledge that ethnic and community media journalists have of their communities and indicated they needed to frame the message within their realities to help open the door to the Census. 

Member of ethnic and community media attended the press conference.—Photo by Karen de La Cruz

The briefing was organized by the Mayor's office in partnership with New York Community Media Alliance, New York Immigration Coalition, and the NYC Census Office at City Hall.

The New York City response rate as of today, by county, is as follows:

HOW THE MEDIA COVERED THE EVENT

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