NAHJ says newsrooms need Latino leaders, not fewer, as Ciprian-Matthews announces departure from CBS News

The news that Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews is stepping down a president of CBS News lands painfully at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, as we gather this week in Hollywood for our 40th anniversary conference, which spotlights both how far Latinos have come in journalism and how much work remains to be done.

Ciprián-Mathews’ announcement, which came three days after CBS’ parent company Paramount agreed to merge with Skydance Media, means one of the highest-ranking Latinas in news won’t be leading the network though she said she would stay on as a senior editorial adviser of CBS’ 2024 Election coverage through November.

U.S. media needs more Latino leaders, not fewer. Latinos now make up 19 percent of the U.S. population and nearly 15 percent of eligible voters, a number that grows daily for the country’s youngest demographic. They are also the fastest-growing contributors to the U.S. economy, contributing more than $3 trillion a year to GDP. Informing Latinos, and covering the community accurately, has never been more important.

In more than four decades as a journalist, Ciprián-Matthews has modeled excellence and inclusiveness in her work. She has won Emmy Awards, the Alfred I. duPont Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award and NAHJ’s Presidential Award of Impact. 

Her announcement came on the eve of the graduation of 10 Latina news leaders from NAHJ’s Adelante Academy, created to prepare more NAHJ members for top newsroom positions where they can have a true impact in shaping coverage. It also comes three days before she will be inducted in NAHJ’s Hall of Fame alongside pioneering Latino journalists Steve Padilla, Rafael Prieto Zartha and John Quiñones. 

The NAHJ thanks Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews for her years of leadership and work, and we look forward to her continued contributions to the field.