Spanish-language Univision anchor reveals personal side

[Harold F. Schiffman]

 Posted on Wed, Apr. 12, 2006

Univision anchor reveals personal side

LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ
Hispanic Affairs Writer

MIAMI - Univision nightly news anchor Maria Elena Salinas made a career
investigating the lives of others, covering leaders from Pope John Paul II
to former Chilean President Agusto Pinochet. On her 25th anniversary with
the top Spanish-language network, the Miami-based Salinas, who co-anchors
with Jorge Ramos, turned her skills inward, offering what is rare in
journalism - a look at the person behind the reporter. Salinas' memoir, "I
Am My Father's Daughter," will be released May 11.

In the book, Salinas explores her own family's hidden stories. She
describes the discovery that her father, an illegal immigrant, was once a
Catholic priest in Mexico and lost his legal status in the United States
because he refused to fight during World War II. She also traces her rise
as the youngest daughter in a poor immigrant family in Los Angeles to one
of the nation's top Spanish-language anchors.

Salinas talked with The Associated Press about her decision to share her
own story, the current immigration debate and her regrets about her
father.

AP: What motivated you to come out with your story now?

Salinas: I had the idea of writing the book many, many years ago.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, an anti-immigrant wave began to take over
the country. And during the beginning of the war (in Iraq), there was also
this patriotism, this nationalism. I thought, "I really don't think it's
time to write this book right now because I want to celebrate my father's
life and the contributions he made to my life. I don't want this to be a
book about an undocumented, immigrant draft-dodger."

AP: What role do you think the Spanish-language media has played in the
United States?

Salinas: Spanish language media in general has had a tremendous influence
in the growth of the Hispanic community.

In the beginning of my career in 1981, we had little political
representation, especially in L.A. At the local level, we had no one in
City Hall. When a seat did open up, and I went out to ask people in
Lincoln Heights about their vote ... 15 out of 16 didn't even know there
was an election. I knew that we in Spanish-language media had to play a
big role in helping educate them and helping them see the responsibility
they had.

AP: Is that advocacy journalism?

Salinas: I can go out and tell them to vote, but I'm not going to tell
them who to vote for. I think there's a fine line, and you have to know
how to balance that line.

AP: Because your father was an illegal immigrant, how do you reconcile
your personal feelings when covering the issue?

Salinas: I've been covering immigration for 25 years. ... I've been the
daughter of immigrants, one legal and one undocumented, for many, many
years. I've never really changed my point of view. I don't think there
should be an open border policy. But I cannot imagine how anyone thinks
logically that you can round up 12 million people and send them to their
countries of origin. I mean there's over a 1 million undocumented
immigrants who come just from Europe
.
AP: Have you ever thought about switching over to English broadcast?

Salinas: I'm doing it in print. I have a column that's distributed by King
Features Syndicate, in 55 newspapers, and the majority are in English, and
I do analysis on National Public Radio. Univision has been my home for 25
years. I've had the opportunity to travel the world and been a witness to
history. I don't know if I would have had that opportunity if I had been
working for an English-language station. ... Now you have (ABC's)
Elizabeth Vargas as the first Hispanic anchor - and on top of that she's a
woman - so she's a double minority anchoring a major newscast. But I've
been doing that for 25 years.

AP: Your favorite interview?

Salinas: (Zapatista rebel spokesman) Subcomandante Marcos. I was almost on
my way to the airport when he finally said "yes." I did my interview for
an hour. We continued for another hour, and in that second hour came the
most interesting part.

AP: The one you wish you could do over?

Salinas: Pinochet. This was the last year he was in power. He was about to
leave, and he was very cold, he was very sarcastic.

AP: Do you feel you understand your father better after writing the book?

Salinas: I think every family has a secret. They have secrets and they
carry these burdens all their lives. I think that if I would have known my
father's secret, that would have broken the ice, and he would have opened
up about so many other things. I think he would have been very proud to
know that I cover the world.
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			  Harold F. Schiffman

		Professor of Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
			Dept. of South Asia Studies
			805 Williams Hall Box 6305

			University of Pennsylvania
			Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

       			Phone:  (215) 898-5825
			Fax:  (215) 573-2138

			Email:  haroldfs at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
			http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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