June 12, 2025 – The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) will gather next month for its annual conference in Chicago at a pivotal moment when Latinos are at the center of competing narratives about America’s future.
Close to 1,500 Latino journalists and news executives are expected to attend the 2025 NAHJ Conference & Expo July 9-12 at the Chicago Hilton, which will be packed with learning sessions, plenary discussions and celebrations. They’ll come together under the theme of “Stronger together: Journalism, community and the power of truth.”
Last year’s 40th anniversary conference in Los Angeles was largely a celebration of the progress made by Latino journalists since the organization’s founding, tempered by recognition that full representation has not yet been achieved even as the country’s population nears the 20% Hispanic mark.
This year, many NAHJ members are covering protests sparked by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and confronting narratives that overlook the success of millions of U.S.-born, naturalized, and documented Hispanic immigrants—replacing it instead with stories that frame Latinos primarily through a lens of criminality.
“Today more than ever the work of Latino journalists isn’t just important—it’s essential. Our reporting brings context, depth, and truth to stories that some want to distort or oversimplify,” said NAHJ President Dunia Elvir. “This conference is a moment to recharge, recommit, and assert our role in shaping a more accurate and just national conversation.”
The conference will feature both big-picture plenaries and around 100 learning sessions on nine tracks: AI/Emerging Tech; Broadcast; Climate Crisis, Core Skills; Entrepreneurship + Freelance; Health + Safety; Immigration, Leadership + Management, and Spanish-language journalism.
In addition to the main program, NAHJ’s task forces will organize multiple sessions in their areas of concentration: Afro-Latino, Business, Education (Academic/Student), Investigative, LGBTQ+, Meteorology + Climate, Sports, Visual (Photography/Video). At least 18 sessions will be in Spanish.
It will also be a celebration. At the July 12 gala, NAHJ will induct Alina Falcón, Mercedes Olivera, Janelle Rodriguez and Damian Trujillo into the NAHJ Hall of Fame, which recognizes journalists who blazed trails for Latinos in news. On July 11, NAHJ will honor journalism excellence through the 2025 Ñ Awards, spotlighting stories that would have gone untold without the cultural competence of NAHJ members.
During the conference, NAHJ will recognize excellence across all stages of a journalism career—including the Student Chapter of the Year award, which highlights leadership and impact at the collegiate level. The 2025 finalists are the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, George Washington University, and the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo. The winner will be announced at the conference’s opening reception.
Job seekers are encouraged to upload their resumes to NAHJ’s Careers Center and connect with the many employers exhibiting at the conference and Job Fair.
The action starts Tuesday, July 8, when Military Veterans in Journalism will hold their annual conference at the Chicago Hilton, with reciprocal discounts for members of MVJ and NAHJ. Wednesday, July 9, will be packed with NAHJ sessions, leading up to the opening reception sponsored by the Chicago Bears and a special welcome from comedian Ana Belaval, an award-winning journalist and NAHJ Chicago member.
There will be a wealth of special events, including the gala, a White Sox game and a Noche de Fiesta that taps into the vibrancy of Chicago’s one-third Hispanic population.
NAHJ thanks the generous sponsors who make this event possible. To view the full list of 2025 conference sponsors, visit nahjconference.org/sponsors. For questions regarding sponsor opportunities and/or to purchase a booth, please contact: Diana Maltez, Director of Development, using this contact form or call (866) 356-7239, Ext. 4
This year’s NAHJ Conference & Expo offers not just professional growth, but a celebration of identity, truth-telling, and the power of community. Latino journalists are not just covering the story—they are the story.
–
About the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and is dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in news media. NAHJ has more than 3,500 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information, please visit NAHJ.org or follow us on X @NAHJ.
Press contact: Andrew Sherry, press@nahj.org, (305) 954-7571