Anchor María Elena Salinas, Mirna Couto, Martin Guzmán and Scott Monaghan, covered more than 5,700 miles over eight days to produce the special.
María Elena interviewed key players in the humanitarian crisis, including presidents, immigration authorities, human rights advocates, crime specialists, human smugglers, gang members and border police.
She also visited some of the poorest and most dangerous areas in those countries to witness the deplorable conditions that drive so many locals to abandon their home in search of a better life in the U.S.
“This kind of story is often left out of the immigration debate,” the judges said, praising “balanced and revealing” reporting.
The Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism is a biennial award administered by The Norman Lear Center. The award encourages and showcases journalistic excellence in political coverage, particularly innovative, issue-focused coverage that informs viewers about their electoral choices.
The special, which aired July 20, 2014, recently received the King of Spain International Journalism Award for its extensive multimedia content published in Univision News’ special projects web page, La Huella Digital.
It is now available for streaming on YouTube:
