FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2021
David Cordero Mercado to fill the vacant Region 1 director post
Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) has appointed David Cordero Mercado to fill the vacant Region 1 director post representing Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Mexico. The board met at an emergency meeting to fill the position, which had been vacant through multiple terms in recent years. Cordero Mercado, an investigative journalist, works for El Nuevo Día, one of Puerto Rico’s oldest daily newspapers.
David began his career as a journalist at the Diálogo newspaper, a UPR publication, and was a national and international reporter for Metro Puerto Rico / Metro World News. He has a master’s degree in Communications with an emphasis in Innovation in Journalism from Syracuse University in New York, and completed a bachelor’s degree in Information and Journalism from the School of Communication of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Río Piedras Campus, as well as a minor in Political Science. He currently works as an investigative journalist for the Investigation and Data Unit of El Nuevo Día / GFR Media. He is also a professor of multimedia news production at the Ferré Rangel School of Communication of the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, as part of NAHJ’s long-term plan to support Puerto Rican members, the organization provided free memberships to journalists and scholarships for students on the island during a span of 18 months. Throughout this period, multiple student chapters including Universidad Ana G. Méndez – Recinto de Gurabo, University of Puerto Rico – Arecibo, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras and Universidad del Sagrado Corazón were established and developed into vocal and active student communities.
“In the past years, we have witnessed our student chapters in Puerto Rico thrive, and it’s been critical to this national board to establish the same level of engagement with professional members on the island,” said Nora López, NAHJ president. “We look forward to the collaboration with David to help in this endeavor.”
The national board will formally meet on October 16 – 17 for a board meeting and retreat. It will be the first time the newly elected, re-elected, and remaining board members meet to discuss new initiatives and goals, and to create a strategic plan with feedback that is currently being gathered from members. The aim of the strategic vision plan is to continue to strengthen the NAHJ community and to help members succeed in a constantly evolving journalism industry. The agenda will be posted on the website, social media, and sent directly to NAHJ members for review in the coming weeks.
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About the NAHJ
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in the news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has over 4,400 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.
Media Contact:
BA Snyder
Veritas Group for NAHJ
512.630.6337
BA@TheVeritasWay.com