PULLMAN, Wash. — Maria Hinojosa, award-winning broadcast journalist and founder of Futuro Media, will receive the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award at the 48th Murrow Symposium this spring. Hinojosa will share insights from her more than 30-year career as a trailblazing Latina journalist and advocate for media diversity during the event, scheduled for April 3, on the WSU Pullman campus.
Born in Mexico City, raised in Chicago, and educated at Barnard College, Hinojosa’s career includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN, and NPR, as well as anchoring the Emmy Award-winning talk show “Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One.” Hinojosa made history as the first Latina in many of the newsrooms in which she worked. She has earned numerous accolades including four Emmys, the John Chancellor Award, the Studs Terkel Community Media Award, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, and the Ruben Salazar Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2010, her vision for independent, multimedia journalism led her to establish Futuro Media, a journalism nonprofit that explores American diversity. Its podcast series, “Suave,” won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize. Judges described it as “a brutally honest and immersive profile of a man reentering society after serving more than 30 years in prison.”
“Maria Hinojosa’s resolve to tell the stories many journalists have historically overlooked makes her a truly outstanding honoree,” said Bruce Pinkleton, dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. “She is a skilled journalist who uses her work to contribute to our understanding of a broad group of people, including some of society’s most vulnerable members, whose personal accounts and experiences we would not otherwise know.”
Hinojosa’s keynote address at the Murrow Symposium will delve into her experiences as a pioneering journalist, the importance of media diversity, and the mission of Futuro Media. Attendees can expect insights into the changing cultural and political landscape in America and the role of journalism in giving voice to diverse perspectives.
As a special addition this year, the WSU Alumni Association’s virtual book club, Well Read Cougs, selected Hinojosa’s 2020 book, “Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America,” as the first Group Pick of 2024. All WSU alumni, faculty, and friends are invited to participate at no charge. Register and learn more on the Alumni Association website. Book club members have access to an online discussion space and will be invited to a hybrid conversation with the author.
Murrow Symposium workshops, panel discussions and the Hall of Achievement induction ceremony will take place on Wednesday, April 3, and Thursday, April 4. This year’s event focuses on Edward R. Murrow’s commitment to courage, innovation, and integrity as well as ways communicators can illuminate untold stories.
More information, including how to sign up to attend or participate, can be found on the Murrow Symposium website.
Media Contacts
- Anna Wheatley, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, 509-335-3850, awheatley@wsu.edu
