María Elena Salinas

Peabody award-winning anchor, María Elena Salinas, who is described as the “Voice of Hispanic America” by the New York Times,^[2] is one of the most recognized and influential journalists in the United States.

Since 1988, she anchors Univision News / Noticiero Univision the most watched newscast by American Hispanics. Since 2000, she is also a co-host on Aquí y Ahora (Here and Now), a news magazine also on Univision. Salinas delivers news and information that empowers millions of viewers across the Americas including 18 Latin American countries ^[3] and reaches a multitude of audiences across digital platforms and social media.^[4] In the course of her career, Salinas has covered most of the major stories of the day—not only witnessing history, but making history as a trail-blazing Latina journalist.

Life and career

An embodiment of the American Dream,^[5] Salinas began her career as a television reporter in 1981 for KMEX Channel 34 in Los Angeles, California and became a news anchor in 1981. She moved to the network in 1987 where she was a reporter, anchor and host of a daily public affairs program.

Her reputation as a serious, objective and highly trustworthy journalist has garnered her universal respect and allowed her to secure high-profile interviews with prominent global figures, ranging from Latin American Heads of State to Zapatista Army of National Liberation spokesman Subcomandante Marcos and every U.S. President since Jimmy Carter. In 2004, Salinas was a moderator of the first-ever bilingual national Democratic presidential candidate debate on Hispanic issues and three years later she co-hosted the first-ever Democratic and Republican presidential candidate forums in Spanish on the Univision Network.

From interviews with A-list celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez,^[6] Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan and reporting to the struggles of the Dreamers and the plight of refugees and immigrants, Salinas’ direct line of questioning and reporting uncovers incredible journeys and hard-hitting truths. Among the first female journalists to report from the war-torn streets of Baghdad, she has been on the front lines courageously covering elections around the globe, dictatorships, drug traffickers, Latin American guerrilla insurgencies, and epic disasters including Haiti’s earthquake in 2010 and the tornadoes that swept through Oklahoma in 2013.

Valued for her knowledge and expertise on Hispanic issues, she has been interviewed by noted journalists, Katie Couric^[7] and Bill Moyers,^[8] among others.

Public Service & Philanthropy

Focused on her mission to empower the Latino community, for nearly two decades Salinas has worked as a volunteer with NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, encouraging immigrants to vote and participate in the political process. The program has grown to become a Peabody award-winning initiative entitled “Ya Es Hora” (It’s Time) for which she serves as the official spokesperson.

Salinas is one of the founders of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and was inducted into the association's Hall of Fame in 2006. Firm in her commitment to empower the next generation, she sponsors the Maria Elena Salinas Scholarship for college students interested in Spanish news broadcasting. She also sits on the boards of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund ^[9] and the International Women’s Media Foundation.^[10] For these efforts and more, Salinas is a recipient of the coveted Intrepid Award from NOW, the National Organization for Women, and has been honored by organizations including the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, among others.

Notable Awards & Recognitions

Celebrated by her peers in the news industry for her excellence in political television journalism, integrity and focus on humanity, Salinas’ straightforward approach to storytelling has resulted in numerous awards and distinctions.

In 2015 alone, she has won a PEABODY Award, Walter Cronkite Award and Gracies Award for her news and documentary special "Entre el abandono y el rechazo" (Between Abandonment and Rejection), a prime-time report on the exodus of Central American children to the United States, which judges have praised as "balanced and revealing."^{[11] [12] [13] [14]}

Additionally, she is the recipient of the 2014 Broadcast Legend Award from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California.^[15] In 2012, she received an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences .^[16] Earlier in her career, Salinas was part of the Univision News team that received the Edward R. Murrow Award for the network’s coverage of the Atlanta Olympic Park bombings in 1996.

Personal

Salinas' parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the 1940s. She was born in ^[17] Los Angeles in 1954. As a child, she lived in Mexico for 7 years, and was reared in Los Angeles. Since 1991, Salinas has lived in Miami with her 2 daughters, Julia Alexandra and Gabriela Maria.

Author

On April 11, 2006 her autobiography, Yo Soy la Hija de mi Padre (I Am my Father's Daughter) was released as a hardback edition. When María Elena accidentally discovered her deceased father had once been a Catholic priest, all she knew was suddenly thrown into question. Turning her investigative eye on herself for the first time, she began a long, arduous journey for answers.^[18] A former columnist, her work in both English and Spanish was distributed by King Features Syndicate.^[19][20]

References

External links