ABC News Announces Journalist Maria Elena Salinas Will Join Network As A Contributor

ABC News has announced that journalist Maria Elena Salinas will join the ABC News Network as a contributor, news that was revealed in a note sent by ABC News president Kim Godwin.

What’s Happening:

  • ABC News president Kim Godwin has sent a note to the news division announcing that journalist Maria Elena Salinas will be joining the ABC News Network as a contributor.
  • Salinas comes from CBS News, where she reported across platforms and on coverage of the 2020 presidential election. She also anchored the award-winning documentary, Pandemia: Latinos in Crisis, which looked at how COVID-19 has affected the Latinx community.
  • Prior to that, she had served as co-anchor of Univision’s evening news program Noticiero Univision, and for 18 years she was co-host of and correspondent for the network’s newsmagazine Aquí y Ahora.
  • The full note from Godwin reads:
    • Good afternoon ABC News –

I am excited to share that journalist María Elena Salinas has joined ABC News as a contributor.

With a career that spans four decades, María Elena has interviewed world leaders and covered major national and international news events, including elections, natural disasters and armed conflicts. For more than 30 years, she served as co-anchor of Univision’s evening news program Noticiero Univision, and for 18 years she was co-host of and correspondent for the network’s newsmagazine Aquí y Ahora. She has interviewed dozens of notable figures and top international entertainers, including Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Shakira and J Balvin, among others.

Most recently, María Elena served as a contributor for CBS News, where she reported across platforms and on coverage of the 2020 presidential election. She also anchored the award-winning documentary, Pandemia: Latinos in Crisis, which looked at how COVID-19 has affected the Latinx community.

She has earned top awards in broadcasting, including multiple Emmys, a Peabody Award, three Gracie Awards, an Edward R. Murrow Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism. In 2012, she was the first Latina to be awarded with the Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement. She was also inducted into several Halls of Fame, including Broadcasting and Cable, the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).

She has constantly focused on her mission to inform, inspire and empower the Latinx community. María Elena is a founding member of NAHJ and has been awarding journalism students with scholarships through the organization for over two decades. She also serves on the board of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Her career began in 1981, where she served as a reporter, anchor and public affairs host for KMEX-TV, Univision’s affiliate in Los Angeles.

María Elena is a strong and experienced journalist whose skills and passion will be a terrific addition to our team. Her role as a contributor will also extend beyond her on-air duties, serving as a consultant for the Race and Culture Unit.

Please join me in welcoming her to the ABC News team.