By Fernanda M. Tovar and
Julissa James
Staff Writers
We were two of the six Cal State journalism students invited to bid farewell to one of Univision’s longest-standing journalists, who broke through glass ceilings in her prolific career by being one of the first women anchors in Spanish-language media.
Maria Elena Salinas is a Mexican-American who has served as an anchor on “Noticiero Univision” program for nearly 40 years. Throughout her career, Salinas has interviewed world leaders and political figures, including the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, and Mexican rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos.
She has been recognized for her work in journalism and activism with a Peabody, Emmy and Intrepid awards – the latter from the National Organization for Women.
We had the chance to sit as audience members during Salinas’ live interview with another Univision anchor, Claudia Botero. This was the last installment of Women’s Leadership Council’s “Fireside Chat” series.
This time around, Salinas was the one getting asked about her experiences, instead of the usual other way around. She highlighted her long career with the network and spoke about her struggles navigating a male-dominated industry, something she had to learn the hard way.
“You have to work twice as hard to get half of the recognition that men get, but it’s OK because you can do it,” she said. “I always struggled for equality, and sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. You have a choice: either you put up with it or you don’t.”
Maybe it was because she would only be with the station until the end of the year, but Salinas was brutally honest about her experiences. Salinas called the Trump administration the lowest point in her career and called the president out on how harmful his rhetoric is when directed to her audience.
She offered advice to young women of color who are pursuing a career in journalism. We both fall under that category, so we listened closely to Salinas’ words that were void of any sugarcoating. The honesty was refreshing and energized us even more in the quest to become successful women journalists.
“You have to know what you’re getting into and understand that it’s a challenge,” Salinas said. “You’re a double-minority. You’re a woman of color and you have to be ready to face those challenges and not necessarily protest about it but just face it with strength knowing what you’re worth and what your value is. You have to take the rejection, ignore it and keep moving.”
