Maria Elena Salinas
| Maria Elena Salinas | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Role: | Journalist |
| Location: | Miami, Fla. |
| Education: | East Los Angeles Community College University of California, Los Angeles[1] |
Maria Elena Salinas is a Spanish-language journalist. As of November 2025, she hosted the independent podcast Cinco Preguntas.[2]
She was previously a co-anchor of Univision's nightly newscast, Noticiero Univision, and the network's news magazine, Aquí y Ahora. In 2011, Univision called Salinas the "most recognized Hispanic journalist in the United States."[3]
Salinas moderated the eighth Democratic presidential primary debate on March 9, 2016, in Miami, Florida, along with Karen Tumulty and Jorge Ramos. The debate was sponsored by Univision and The Washington Post.[4]
Biography
Salinas was born in 1954 to Mexican immigrant parents in Los Angeles, California. She began her career in journalism in 1981 as a reporter for the Spanish-language television station KMEX-34 in Los Angeles. Her comprehensive coverage of the Hispanic community in Southern California led her to become a co-anchor of Noticiero Univision, Univision's nightly news program, in 1987.[3][5]
In addition to her role as a journalist, Salinas is also a radio commentator and a syndicated columnist. Her writing appears in Spanish and English in more than 55 newspapers across the United States. Her memoir, I Am My Father’s Daughter: Living A Life Without Secrets, was published in 2006.[1]
Salinas is a founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She serves on the board of directors of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the International Women’s Media Foundation.[6]
Awards
In addition to one regional and four national Emmy Awards, Salinas has received the following awards for leadership and journalistic excellence:[7]
- Eagle Leadership Award, Latino Leaders Network (2015)[8]
- Peabody Award, National Association of Broadcasters (2015)[9]
- Golden Mike Broadcast Legend Award, Radio and Television News Association of Southern California (2015)[9]
- Walter Cronkite Award for National Investigative Journalism, The Norman Lear Center (2015)[10]
- Gracies Award for Outstanding Anchor, Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (2013)[11]
- Outstanding Achievement Award in Hispanic Television, Multichannel News and Broadcasting & Cable magazines (2013)[9]
- Lifetime Achievement Award, The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (2012)[12]
- Intrepid Award, National Organization for Women (2006)[13]
- Edward R. Murrow Award, Radio Television Digital News Association (1996)[8]
Work and activities
2016 presidential election
March 9, 2016, Democratic debate
In November 2015, the Democratic National Committee announced that Univision and The Washington Post would host the eighth and final Democratic presidential primary debate on March 9, 2016. The debate was moderated by Salinas along with fellow Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos and Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post. The debate took place in Miami, Florida, at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus. Univision televised the debate live in Spanish.[14][4]
Notable endorsements
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See also
- What is an influencer?
- Univision
- Presidential debates (2015-2016)
- Univision Miami Democratic debate (March 9, 2016)
External links
- Maria Elena Salinas on X
- Maria Elena Salinas on LinkedIn
- Profile from the National Association of Broadcasters
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Paley Center for Media, "Maria Elena Salinas," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Maria Elena Salinas," accessed November 26, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Univision, "María Elena Salinas, su biografía," June 7, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Washington Post, "Credentialing information now available for The Washington Post and Univision News DNC-Sanctioned Debate in Miami, Florida," March 2, 2016
- ↑ Moyers and Company, "María Elena Salinas," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Maria Elena Salinas," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ Univision, "Univision’s award-winning journalists Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences," October 2, 2012
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Capital Wire PR, "Latino Leaders Network honors Maria Elena Salinas, Univision co-anchor," September 8, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Univision, "Univision News and Maria Elena Salinas Receive Prestigious Peabody Award for Hard-Hitting Special 'Entre El Abandono y El Rechazo' (Between Abandonment and Rejection)," April 23, 2015
- ↑ Media Moves, "Univision documentary wins Walter Cronkite Award," March 13, 2015
- ↑ The Gracies, "2013 Gracie Award Winners," accessed March 8, 2016
- ↑ The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, "The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to honor Univision's Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards," June 28, 2012
- ↑ HispanicAd.com, "María Elena Salinas honored with 2006 Intrepid Award," August 12, 2006
- ↑ Politico, "Univision/Washington Post Democratic debate to be held March 9," November 2, 2015
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