Latino Journalists and Media Advocate Honored

National Hispanic Media Coalition Holds 2nd Annual Impact Awards in New York City

The NiLP Report

The Media Impact Awards by the National Hispanic Media Coalition, in collaboration with Google, returned to New York City for its second year to honor outstanding Latinos in media. This event was held on the evening of Thursday, October 6th at Google's NYC Headquarters.

"Those of you we honor here today are trailblazers whose achievements are a source of pride for the Latino community-ensuring that our voices are heard and that they have a powerful echo," said Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, in welcoming honorees and guests at the NHMC Impact Award reception. "Our communities are better served because of your dedication to communicating our experience and expanding opportunities for all Latinos." Nogales pointed out that, "If it weren't for Google's collaboration, we would be very hard pressed to have this gathering. I want to thank them and Paulita David, Head of US Multicultural for Google, for their generosity."

The Honorees

Those honored were: Fox News Latino; Fox 5 reporter Jessica Formoso; Telemundo 47 anchorJorge Ramos; Vice President of Fox News Latino, Francisco Cortes; and LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

Lynda Baquero, Consumer Reporter of Better Get Baquero at NBC 4 New York emceed the event. She was one the first honoree last year for this event. Lynda is an Emmy award-winning consumer reporter for NBC's "Better Get Baquero" segments that air Monday through Thursday during the 5 p.m. newscast. Ms. Baquero joined NBC 4 from NY1 where she was an anchor, consumer reporter and a video-journalist responsible for researching, writing, shooting and editing her own stories. She is also dedicated to helping young people achieve their potential, by serving on the Board of Directors of Let's Get Ready, a non-profit organization that serves the educational needs of New York City students, and of the Byram Hills Education Foundation.

The awards were opened by National Hispanic Media Coalition Board members Marta Garcia and Angelo Falcón. Ms. Garcia is Vice Chair of the Board of the organization and founder and Co-Chair with Mr. Falcón of its New York Chapter. Also welcoming everyone was Alex Nogales, who head the NHMC. Ms. Garcia is Co-Director of the theater company, Latea, and Mr. Falcón is President of the National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP).

Outstanding Web News Site

Francisco Cortes, Fox News Latino. The first award recipient of the evening was Francisco Cortes, Vice President of Fox News Latino, who conceived Fox News Latino. Since its launch in 2010, Fox News Latino.com has established itself as a leading source of information for Latinos in the United States, as well as others who are interested in coverage about the community. The bilingual news site features news, politics, entertainment, money, health and lifestyle stories that impact the Latino community in the United States. As the one of the leading web destination for Latinos, they aim to engage the fastest-growing minority community with engaging multimedia coverage.

In accepting this award with his staff beside him, Mr. Cortes stated that "It is an honor to be recognized by Alex Nogales and the National Hispanic Media Coalition for the reporting Fox News Latino has done within the Hispanic community. As pioneers and leaders in the digital space, our mission is to tell stories of the American Latino, often not covered by mainstream media. During times when diversity is needed more than ever, Fox News Latino.com is proud to have some of the most talented Latino journalists working on the issues affecting our community."

Outstanding Broadcast Journalism

Jessica Formoso, Fox 5. The next Impact Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism recipient was Jessica Formoso, who joined the Fox 5 team as a reporter in August of 2015. Prior to Fox 5, Jessica was a general assignment bilingual reporter for News 12 networks, including News 12 En Español. Ms. Formoso has covered Hurricane Irene, Super storm Sandy, and the Ebola outbreak in New York. She has also reported on the surge of unaccompanied children crossing the border and migrating to our area. Ms. Formoso also hosts a reoccurring franchise called Our American Dream where she profiles significant individuals and issues that impact the Hispanic community.

"It is a great honor and privilege," Ms. Foprmosa explained, "to be recognized by an organization as notable as the National Hispanic Media Coalition. As a Latina, I am proud that more Latinos are entering this industry, as I know their work will be community-focused and done with integrity and passion. The work I'm doing at Fox 5 News is just the beginning of something bigger and better for a community who deserves to be well represented."

Jorge Ramos, Emmy-award winning news anchor for Telemundo 47 was unable to attend the reception but wrote in accepting the Excellence in Broadcast Journalism Award: "This is an incredibly meaningful-and moving honor. The National Hispanic Media Coalition does so much to level the playing field for Latinos in our business, and I would offer my thanks to Alex Nogales and the entire team at the National Hispanic Media Coalition for their continued efforts. When I first started in this industry, my first job as a reporter was at 'Canal 47 / WNJU', today I am proud to continue calling Telemundo 47 Nueva York, my home. I truly have enjoyed each and every day of my 38 years in broadcast news and look forward to further serving the Spanish-speaking communities and neighborhoods of the Tri-State region with my Telemundo 47 Nueva York familia."

Outstanding Community Service

LatinoJustice PRLDEF. The evening's final award recipient was LatinoJustice PRLDEF for Outstanding Service and Commitment to the Latino Community. Juan Cartagena, the organization's President and General Counsel, accepted the award. Founded in 1972, LatinoJustice PRLDEF is a national civil rights public interest law office that represents Latinos throughout the country and works to increase their entry into the legal profession. Using the power of the law together with education and advocacy, LatinoJustice PRLDEF protects opportunities for all Latinos to succeed in work and school, fulfill their dreams and sustain their families and communities. More than 40 years after its founding and with offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida, LatinoJustice PRLDEF continues to be an aggressive advocate for Latino rights throughout the country. In 2014, LatinoJustice PRLDEF opened its first-ever regional office in Orlando, Florida. The Southeast Regional Office anchors their legal advocacy and leadership development throughout the Southeast, particularly in the area of voting rights.

Mr. Cartagena, flanked by his staff, observed that "The work of NHMC on Latino inclusion and so many other issues is critically important to ensuring a fair and balanced media representation of our community. Media bias is detrimental to our community, and we must do all we can to repair those biases. I am grateful that NHMC chose LatinoJustice for this honor."

Sponsors and Background

This event was sponsored by Google and the Univision Communications Corporation, Inc., with the support of Southwest Airlines, Comcast NBCUniversal, Fox 5, HITN, FUSE Media, and Time Warner Cable/Spectrum New NY1 / NY1 Noticias.

Last year, NHMC began a tradition of honoring those individuals or entities from the New York area whose achievements, generosity of spirit, and courage under fire, have greatly benefited the welfare of the Latino community. Past NHMC Impact Award recipients include Jeanine Ramirez (NY1 News), Joe Torres (WABC-TV), Lynda Baquero (NBC 4 New York), Esteban Creste (Univision 41), and former Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Cynthia López. The event gathers over 150 local industry leaders.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a media advocacy and civil rights organization for the advancement of Latinos, working towards a media that is fair and inclusive of Latinos, and towards universal, affordable, and open access to communications. For further information, visit nhmc.org.

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