Lizette Alvarez (born October 30, 1964) is an American
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
, and has worked for more than two decades with ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. She has served as the Miami bureau chief since January 2011.
Alvarez has been a reporter for the ''
New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'', and ''The'' ''Miami Herald''.
Alvarez was born in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
October 30, 1964, the daughter of Cuban refugees.
She graduated from
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
with a B.A. in 1986 and from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
with an M.S. degree in journalism in 1987. Alvarez is married to journalist
Don Van Natta, Jr.; they have two daughters.
Biography
Alvarez describes herself as "the daughter of Cuban refugees...raised to resist oppression and champion liberty."
She began her career in journalism, working for the ''Miami Herald'', in 1991, as an immigration reporter and Cuba correspondent.
One of her early stories, "Cuban Naval Defectors Tell of Life in Military," was published in February, 1992.
In August 1992, Alvarez, was one of nine people to survive the destructive effects of
Hurricane Andrew, as they rode-out the storm in a small motel, fleeing to another room as the roof was ripped off where they tried to shelter themselves. Her husband, (who was her boyfriend at the time) was also a reporter for ''The Miami Herald''; they were both part of the staff awarded the 1993
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for Public Service, for coverage of Hurricane Andrew and its aftermath. Later, she published her personal story of the experience.
In 1995, Alvarez and fellow journalist, Lisa Getter, won the Goldsmith Prize for investigate reporting on, ''Lost in America: Our Failed Immigration Policy.''
Years later, Alvarez was one of hundreds of journalists who joined in support of the formation of the newspaper union, One Herald Guild. She and her husband signed a petition and offered their testimonials, supporting the effort; Alvarez wrote:
In July 1995, Alvarez left Miami to work for the ''New York Times''. She has worked for over two decades with the organization, beginning as an assignment reporter at the Metro-desk, in New York, and as of 2020, the Miami bureau chief, since 2011. She has served as a Washington correspondent, covering congress and reported on Northern Europe, while serving as the London bureau chief. In 2017, she elected to accept a buyout offer, as the ''Times'' shifted their newsroom operations.
Awards
* 1993
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, (with the staff of ''The Miami Herald),'' citing its coverage of
Hurricane Andrew's destruction, including the contribution of "lax zoning, inspection, and building codes"
* 1995 The
Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting
The Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting is an award for journalists administered by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University. The program was launched in 1991, with the goal of exposing examples of ...
, (with
Lisa Getter), for "Lost in America: Our Failed Immigration Policy,” ''The Miami Herald''
* 1996 The
George Polk Award
The George Polk Awards in Journalism are a series of American journalism awards presented annually by Long Island University in New York in the United States. A writer for Idea Lab, a group blog hosted on the website of PBS, described the awar ...
for Metro Reporting, (with
Frank Bruni
Frank Anthony Bruni (born October 31, 1964) is an American journalist and long-time writer for ''The New York Times''. In June 2011, he was named an op-ed columnist for the newspaper. His columns appear twice weekly and he also writes a weekly ne ...
,
Nina Bernstein
Nina Bernstein is an American journalist, best known for her ''New York Times'' reporting on social and legal issues, including coverage of immigration, child welfare and health care. In 21 years at the Times, from which she retired at the end o ...
, and
Joyce Purnick) for their 1995 reporting on the New York City Child Welfare Administration, ''The New York Times''
* 2008 Peabody Award, (with the staff) for nytimes.com, awarded in recognition that "its website exemplifies a new age for the press, expanding its role in ways unimaginable only a few years."
References
External links
Alvarez at TwitterCity Room Alvarez blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Lizette
1964 births
Living people
George Polk Award recipients
The New York Times writers
Miami Herald people
Florida State University alumni
Medill School of Journalism alumni
Writers from Miami
American women journalists
20th-century American journalists
20th-century American women
21st-century American women