National leaders and members provided an opportunity to meet with top White House officials and ask questions about pressing issues, led by NAHJ President
On February 22, national leaders and members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) attended a White House briefing with top Latinos in President Joe Biden’s administration, including Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, White House Political Strategy and Outreach Director Emily Ruiz, and White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Director Julie Chávez Rodríguez.
The delegation, led by NAHJ President Yvette Cabrera and including NAHJ past-president Brandon Benavides, comprised diverse Hispanic journalists from across the U.S. The visit provided journalists with an opportunity to ask questions about pressing issues, ranging from asylum and immigration reform to COVID-19 and the environmental impact of the train derailment in Palestine, Ohio, as well as to emphasize the importance of providing equal access to Spanish-speaking members of the press.
Additionally, the briefing included a panel discussion moderated by Noticias Telemundo Anchor Julio Vaqueiro and Telemundo Los Angeles Anchor Dunia Elvir, who is the national Spanish-at-large officer on the NAHJ board. Emmy Ruiz, White House political strategy and outreach director, and Julie Chavez Rodriguez, senior advisor and assistant to the president and director of the White House office of intergovernmental affairs, were both featured on the panel.
“This accessibility is foundational to the work we do as journalists to hold our government accountable to the American public. As Latino journalists, we bring a unique perspective to our coverage and that was reflected in the questions we asked during this press briefing,” said Yvette Cabrera, NAHJ President.
This was the NAHJ’s first White House briefing since October 2014 during the Obama administration. Cabrera said she hopes to have more of these conversations with White House leaders in the future.
See photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAuXja