Maria Elena Salinas

Independent Journalist, ABC News Contributor

Maria Elena Salinas, an award-winning journalist and author, is one of the most recognizable and respected journalists in the country. In a career that spans four decades, including serving as co-anchor of Univision’s evening news for more than 30 years and co-hosting news magazine Aqui y Ahora.
Her work has earned the top awards presented in broadcasting, among them multiple Emmys, including a lifetime achievement Emmy, a Peabody, 3 Gracie Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.
Salinas joined ABC News as a contributor and consultant to the Race and Culture Unit. She has reportes stories for the award winning news program Nightline and election coverage focusing on the Latino vote among other shows and platforms and was part of the Uvalde365 team that covered the school shooting’s aftermath for one year.
In the past Salinas served as a contributor for CBS News where she reported across multiple platforms, including the network’s coverage of the 2020 election.

Salinas, hosted and co executive produced “The Real Story with Maria Elena Salinas,” a true crime series for Investigation Discovery, that can be seen on the Discovery+ streaming service.

A versatile and bilingual journalist, throughout her career Salinas has been a witness to history covering elections around the world, armed conflicts and natural disasters. She has interviewed dozens of world leaders including Presidents of the United States and Latin America and top international entertainers such as Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Shakira and JBalvin among others.

From 2001-2011, Salinas wrote a weekly syndicated column in both English and Spanish. She is also the author of the 2006 memoirobiography, “I Am My Father’s Daughter, Living a Life Without Secrets.”

Salinas is a founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and for over two decades has provided dozens of students with a scholarship under her name. She also serves on the board of Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

Salinas has received several Lifetime Achievement Awards and been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Broadcasting and Cable, National Association of Broadcasters and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, as well as receiving honorary doctorates from American University and California State University Fullerton.

Salinas began her journalism career in 1981 as a reporter, anchor and public affairs host for KMEX-TV, Univision’s affiliate in Los Angeles.