Lilia Luciano

Lilia Luciano
Born October 12, 1984
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nationality American
Education University of Miami
Occupation Journalist, columnist, film producer, literacy advocate
Years active 2004 - present

Lilia Luciano was a television journalist and was a national news correspondent for NBC News's The Today Show, Nightly News with Brian Williams and MSNBC. She is a TEDx speaker[1] and contributing columnist for Huffington Post writing both in English and Spanish about issues concerning the Hispanic community,[2] the War on Drugs[3] and Human Rights.[4]

On May 2, 2012 it was announced that Luciano was no longer with NBC News, after it was found that the audio portion of the Trayvon Martin 9-1-1 call was edited in a manner that did not reflect the nature of the conversation and had the appearance of George Zimmerman making an unprompted statement that Martin was black instead as his direct answer to the 911 dispatcher's questions. NBC subsequently dismissed several employees.[5][6]

Education

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Luciano attended Tufts University in Massachusetts to study pre-medicine. In 2003, she transferred to the University of Miami, where she graduated in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in economics and broadcast journalism.

Early years

While at the University of Miami, Luciano interned with Telemundo where she produced and anchored a finance and economics segment for Telemundo Internacional. After graduating from The University of Miami, Luciano was hired by Univision Networks as correspondent and co-anchor for evening newscast En Vivo y Directo.

Television

Luciano joined NBC News in December 2010 from Univision network where she served as co-host of a live daily program and as a correspondent for the top-rated show 'Aquí y Ahora'.[7] Previously, she was a co-host from 2006 to 2010 at Escandalo TV (Scandal TV), a spicy Spanish gossip show at TeleFutura Network.

Major assignments

Hurricane Irene

In August 2011 Lilia Luciano covered Hurricane Irene from Nassau, Bahamas for NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today Show, MSNBC, The Weather Channel, CNBC and Telemundo. She went on to cover the storm's trail of devastation in North Carolina.[8]

Casey Anthony trial

During the summer of 2011 Luciano covered the Casey Anthony first-degree murder trial in Orlando, Florida for MSNBC and the Today Show. Luciano reported live from the Orange County courthouse throughout the six-week trial. At midnight on July 17, she gave a special breaking news report on MSNBC to announce Anthony's release from prison.[9]

Joran Van der Sloot trial

On January 2012 Luciano was the only national correspondent from the major networks covering the murder trial against Joran Van der Sloot in Lima, Peru for both Today Show, and Telemundo, obtaining exclusive interviews with the victim's family and government authorities in Lima.[10][11][12]

University of Virginia lacrosse murder trial

On February 22, 2012 Luciano reported for "Today", MSNBC and Comcast Sports on the first degree murder trial against University of Virginia Lacrosse captain George Huguely, convicted in the death of his girlfriend Yeardly Love.[13]

Trayvon Martin shooting

Luciano was one of the national television reporters on the scene in Sanford, Florida covering this story.[14][15]

Dismissal

On 2 May 2012, it was reported that Luciano was no longer with NBC News. It was initially unclear if she was dismissed or resigned, but it was reported later she was fired.[16] A unnamed veteran NBC News producer and a local reporter, Jeff Burnside, were previously fired as a result of airing the misleading edited audio.[6]

All of Luciano's reports on the Trayvon Martin story which contained the misleading edit were removed from the Today website.[17]

NBC News president Steve Capus told Reuters that the edit, made by a Miami-based producer, was "a mistake and not a deliberate act to misrepresent the phone call." The network claimed that it was done in order to meet a maximum time requirement for the piece, a common pressure in morning television. The producer was subsequently fired and NBC News apologized for the error stating it was an "editing error in the production process."[5]

On December 6, 2012, Luciano was named as a defendant in a defamation lawsuit filed against NBC by George Zimmerman with regard to the selective editing of Zimmerman's 911 call.[18] Zimmerman's criminal trial concluded with a "not guilty" jury verdict and acquittal on July 13, 2013, allowing his lawsuit to proceed.[19]

Non-profit work

In 2009, she founded a non-profit organization and media campaign called "aprende más!", which seeks to promote education and the importance of reading among children in Ibero-American countries. Luciano also hosts a video blog "Una Voz", which tackles current events and issues affecting Hispanics today. Lilia is also the executive editor of "Opina Magazine", an annual online publication that promotes the arts.[20]

In 2010 she served as spokesperson to the Univision and Bill Gates Foundation's Education Campaign, "Es El Momento", as well as a supporter and collaborator with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Walk Now for Autism.[21]

Documentaries

Luciano has produced, directed and narrated two short documentary films: "Nueva Orleans," which focuses on the efforts of the Hispanic community in rebuilding the city of New Orleans, and "Pikininis," a story about the challenges of a South African woman aiding orphans in Johannesburg.[22]

Other facts

Luciano is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists In 2010, Cosmopolitan Magazine featured Luciano on their November 2010 Cover.

In 2009, People en Español selected Luciano in their 50 Most Beautiful people issue.[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ "Ponentes TEDxManagua 2013". TEDxManagua. 9 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Operación Tolerancia: la lucha contra la homofobia en los Medios Hispanos". The Huffington Post. 10 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Wars of Others". The Huffington Post. 5 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "Lilia Luciano bio". The Huffington Post.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 David Carr (22 April 2012). "TV Corrects Itself, Just Not on the Air". New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chris Ariens (2 May 2012). "Another Misleading Edit Costs Another NBC News Employee Her Job". TVNewser.com. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Chris Ariens (21 June 2011). "Telemundo Anchor crosses over on MSNBC". TVNewser. WebMediaBrands, Inc. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "Trees and reporter rocked by Irene winds video". Jansing and Co, MSNBC. NBC. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lilia Luciano MSNBC Casey Anthony video report". YouTube. 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Más de 70 periodistas extranjeros cubren en Lima el caso Van der Sloot". ElComercio.pe. Lima, Peru. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Reporter’s Notebook: Lilia Luciano on Joran Van der Sloot Trial in Peru". NBC Latino. Miami. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "Murder trial begins for Van der Sloot video report". NBC Today show. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  13. ↑ "Lilia Luciano of NBC News reports on the George Huguely conviction". CSN Washington. Comcast SportsNet. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  14. ↑ "Lilia Luciano report on Trayvon Martin, Mar 20". NBC Today Show. Youtube.com. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  15. ↑ "Lilia Luciano report on Trayvon Martin, Mar 22". NBC Today Show. Youtube. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  16. ↑ Brian Stelter (3 May 2012). "Correspondent Involved in Misleading ‘Today’ Segment Leaves NBC News". New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  17. ↑ Jack Mirkinson (3 May 2012). "Lilia Luciano Fired By NBC News Over Botched George Zimmerman Edit". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  18. ↑ Michael Martinez (6 December 2012). "George Zimmerman sues NBC Universal over edited 911 call". CNN.com. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  19. ↑ Ted Johnson (13 July 2013). "How Will “Not Guilty” Verdict Affect George Zimmerman’s Libel Suit Against NBC". Variety. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "Lilia Luciano será corresponsal de NBC News en Miami". People en Español. Time, Inc. 1 October 2010.
  21. ↑ "Univision's "Es el Momento" Educational Initiative video featuring Lilia Luciano". M.A.S.,Entertainment News from English and Spanish sources. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "Lilia Luciano Joins NBC News as Miami-Based Correspondent". NBC Press release. NBCUniversal. 11 October 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  23. ↑ "Lilia Luciano en la Portada de People en Español". LatinGossip.com. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  24. ↑ "Las Bodas de las Estrellas". People en Español. Retrieved 4 January 2009.

External links