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Maria de Lourdes Hinojosa Ojeda (born July 2, 1961) is a Mexican-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 journalis ...
. She is the
anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek � ...
and executive producer of ''
Latino USA ''Latino USA'' is a nationally syndicated public radio program and podcast produced by The Futuro Media Group and distributed nationwide by the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), after 27 years of being distributed by NPR. The program is anchored by ...
'' on
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
, a public radio show devoted to Latino issues. She is also the founder, president and CEO of Futuro Media Group, which produces the show. In 2022, Hinojosa won a Pulitzer Prize. Additionally, she serves as the executive producer of '' America By the Numbers with Maria Hinojosa: Clarkston Georgia'' which premiered on PBS as a
Need to Know The term "need to know", when used by government and other organizations (particularly those related to the military or espionage), describes the restriction of data which is considered very sensitive. Under need-to-know restrictions, even if ...
Election 2012 special on September 21, 2012.Futuro Media Group Homepage
In 2011, she became the first Latina to anchor a ''Frontline'' report on PBS (''Lost in Detention,'' a documentary exploring the issue of deportation and immigrant detention and abuse)."Lost In Detention" Homepage
Since 1995, she has been named three times as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by ''Hispanic Business'' magazine for her work as a reporter for
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
,
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, and CNN.


Career

In 1992, Hinojosa helped launch ''Latino USA'', one of the earliest public radio programs devoted to the Latino community. She has been the host of the show for its entire 20-year run, and since 2000 has also been executive producer. In 2010, Hinojosa founded Futuro Media Group with the mission to produce multi-platform, community-based journalism that respects and celebrates the cultural richness of the American experience. Futuro took over the production of ''Latino USA,'' which was originally produced by KUT in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. ''America by The Numbers with Maria Hinojosa: Clarkston Georgia'' is the first full length television program to be produced by The Futuro Media Group and the first public affairs program on PBS to be executive produced and anchored by a Latina woman. Previously, Hinojosa worked for CNN's New York City bureau for eight years, where she reported on urban issues including youth violence and immigrant communities; and she was Senior Correspondent for the PBS news magazine, NOW on PBS. She also hosted the
WNBC-TV WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo statio ...
public affairs show, ''Visiones''. Hinojosa hosted her own show for five years on PBS, ''Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One'', an interview talk show that featured one-on-one interviews with a diverse group of guests, including actors, writers, activists, and politicians."Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One" official page
She has also appeared on V-me, the Spanish-language TV network, where she hosted ''La Plaza: Conversaciones con María Hinojosa''. Hinojosa has written three books: ''Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son'', a motherhood memoir; ''Crews: Gang Members Talk with Maria Hinojosa'', a collection of interviews with gang members in New York City; and ''Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America'', her experience growing up Mexican American on the South Side of Chicago and as an adult witness to the US immigration crisis. In addition, she interviewed various notable Latinos(as) for
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (born February 16, 1952) is an American documentary filmmaker and portrait photographer based in New York City. The majority of his work is shot in large format. Early life Greenfield-Sanders was born on February 16 ...
' 2011 HBO television special ''The Latino List''. The special inspired the publication of a photo book, ''The Latino List/La Lista De Latinos'', co-authored by Hinojosa that includes transcriptions of their interviews. ''The Latino List: Volume Two'' premieres on HBO on September 24, 2012. Hinojosa began hosting the National Public Radio show ''
Latino USA ''Latino USA'' is a nationally syndicated public radio program and podcast produced by The Futuro Media Group and distributed nationwide by the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), after 27 years of being distributed by NPR. The program is anchored by ...
'' in 1995 and continues to host today. ''Latino USA'' is produced exclusively by The Futuro Media Group.Latino USA Homepage
Hinojosa's first journalism experience was as host of a Latino radio show while she was a student at
Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, where she graduated
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
with a degree in Latin American studies in 1985. Hinojosa has a cameo in 2021's ''
In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of ...
'' film, playing the part of a protest leader at a DREAMer immigration rally.


Personal life

Maria Hinojosa was born in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, the daughter of Berta Maria Ojeda Y de Teresa and Dr. Raul Efren Hinojosa Prieto. She moved with her family to the
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
neighborhood of Hyde Park in 1962 after her father was appointed to the surgical faculty at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. She currently lives in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
with her husband, the Dominican painter German Pérez, and their adult son and daughter. In a 2021 episode of the PBS series ''
Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is a documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is compiled wi ...
'', Hinojosa learned that her 11th great-grandfather on her father's side was Diego de Montemayor, a Spanish
conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...
and the founder of the Mexican city of
Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is ancho ...
, and that her third great-grandparents on her mother's side, who lived in Cuba, were members of the Spanish nobility. It was also found that her direct matrilineal line is indigenous Mexican.


Honors and awards

Hinojosa has won numerous honors and awards for her work, most recently the 2012 John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism. Other recognition includes the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Reporting on the Disadvantaged, the
National Association of Hispanic Journalists The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic and Latino journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico. It was established in 1984. NAHJ has approxim ...
' Radio Award, the New York Society of Professional Journalists Deadline Award, the
Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for '' The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral h ...
Community Media Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club, the
Sidney Hillman Sidney Hillman (March 23, 1887 – July 10, 1946) was an American labor leader. He was the head of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and was a key figure in the founding of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and in marshaling labor' ...
Prize, the
National Council of La Raza UnidosUS, formerly National Council of La Raza (NCLR) (La Raza), is the United States's largest Latino nonprofit advocacy organization. It advocates in favor of progressive public policy changes including immigration reform, a path to citizen ...
's Rubén Salazar Communications Award (named for Mexican American journalist Rubén Salazar), and an
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
award. In 2010, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from DePaul University in Chicago. In 2012, she was named DePaul University's new Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Chair. She has won four
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
, including one in 2002 for coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and another in 2008 for her work on Taxing the Poor, documenting the plight of the lower class in Alabama. In 2009, she was honored with an
American Women in Radio and Television The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is a nonprofit organization created by women in 1951 that works to support women in the media in the United States. About The mission of the organization is to "advance the impact of women in broadcasting a ...
(AWRT) Gracie Award for Individual Achievement. Hinojosa has been named among the top 25 Latinos in Contemporary American Culture by the
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
. ''Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One'' was recognized with
New England Emmy Awards New England Emmy Awards are a division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The division was founded in 1977 and in addition to granting the New England Emmy Awards, it recognizes awards scholarships, honors industry veterans a ...
for Outstanding Interview Program in 2008 and 2011, and a New England Emmy Award for Outstanding Host/Moderator in 2012. In 2011, ''One-on-One'' received an
Imagen Award The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person ...
for its contribution to the positive image of Latinos in the US. In 2007, she was inducted into the "She Made It" Hall of Fame at the
Paley Center for Media The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, dedicated to ...
/Museum of Television and Radio."She Made It" at the Paley Center
In 2022, the
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 ...
Board announced that Futuro Media and Hinojosa won a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting for its seven-part podcast series, ''Suave''.


Books

*''Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America'' () *''Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son'' () *''Crews: Gang Members Talk with Maria Hinojosa'' () *''The Latino List/La Lista De Latinos'' ()


References


External links


The Futuro Media Group"America by the Numbers: Clarkston Georgia" homepageNPR bioPowerful Latinas profile2007 Feature Interview with Maria Hinojosa on The Alcove with Mark Molaro"Telling the Truth — The Best in Broadcast Journalism"
PBS, Maria Hinojosa, host. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinojosa, Maria 1961 births Living people American radio journalists American radio reporters and correspondents American television reporters and correspondents American memoirists NPR personalities American writers of Mexican descent Mexican expatriates in the United States Mexican emigrants to the United States Barnard College alumni People from Mexico City Hispanic and Latino American women journalists University of Chicago Laboratory Schools alumni American women memoirists PBS people American women chief executives American chief executives in the media industry American women television journalists American women radio journalists 21st-century American women Pulitzer Prize winners