Maria Hinojosa

As a reporter who was the first Latina in many newsrooms, Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. To that end, in 2010, she created the Futuro Media Group, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Harlem, New York, with the mission to create multimedia content for and about the new American mainstream, in the service of empowering people to navigate the complexities of an increasingly diverse and connected world.

As anchor and executive producer of the Peabody Award-winning television show, Latino USA, distributed by NPR, as well as co-host of In the Thick, the Futuro Media Group’s political podcast, Hinojosa has worked to enlighten audiences about the changing cultural and political landscape in America, and abroad. She also is anchor and executive producer of America By the Numbers on PBS, the first national series to examine our country’s dramatic demographic shifts, as well as Humanizing America, a digital video series which deconstructs stereotypes about the Americana electorate.

Hinojosa is also a new contributor to the long running, award-winning news program CBS Sunday Morning, and is a frequent guest on MSNBC. Her nearly 30-year journalism career includes reporting for PBS, CBS, WNBC, CNN and NPR. She is the author of two books, and has won professional awards that include four Emmys, the John Chancellor Award, the Studs Terkel Community Media Award, two Robert F. Kennedy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Ruben Salazar Lifetime Achievement Award. She is currently the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Chair of Latin American and Latino Studies at DePaul University of Chicago.