Draft:Hugo Balta
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Hugo Balta
[edit]Hugo Balta (born March 7, 1970) is an American journalist, media executive, and educator. He is the executive editor of The Fulcrum[1], a national news outlet focused on democracy and civic engagement, and the publisher of the Latino News Network (LNN), [2]an organization that oversees several regional news websites serving Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States.
A vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in journalism, Balta is the only person to have been elected President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) twice and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2016.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Balta was born in Northern New Jersey. He is a graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in Communications. He also completed executive leadership programs at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
Career
[edit]An experienced journalist, Balta has held leadership positions across multiple markets and platforms.
- Media executive: Balta's past roles include Senior Producer at MSNBC[4], first News Director at WTTW[5] in Chicago, and Vice President of News for Telemundo New York. He also served as Executive Editor of the Chicago Reporter[6], a magazine focused on race, poverty, and income inequality. As Senior Director of Multicultural Content for ESPN, Balta conceptualized and oversaw the One Nación[7] brand, leading content across multiple platforms in Spanish and English language.
- Publisher: In addition to his role at The Fulcrum, Balta is the publisher of the Latino News Network, a group of independent digital news outlets. LNN is known for its use of solutions journalism, a reporting method that highlights responses to social problems.
- Educator: As an adjunct professor[8], Balta has taught journalism courses at Columbia College Chicago and has also taught at the University of Washington. He is an accredited trainer for the Solutions Journalism Network.[9] He has led several popular online solutions journalism training sessions[10] with Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas in English and Spanish.
- Advocacy: Balta is recognized as a leader for diversity, equity, and inclusion in media. During his two terms as president of the NAHJ, he championed the organization’s mission of promoting the fair and accurate representation of Hispanics and Latinos in the news.
Awards and honors
[edit]- Cecilia Vaisman Award (2024):[11] Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism awarded Balta for his outstanding reporting on issues affecting Hispanic and Latino communities.
- NAHJ Hall of Fame (2016): Balta was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for his career-long contributions to the organization and the industry.
- NAHJ Presidential Award of Excellence (2015)[12]: The NAHJ recognized a project Balta worked on at ESPN, "One Nación," with this award.
Philanthropy
[edit]In honor of his late maternal grandmother Hortencia Zavala, Balta and his family founded the Hortencia Zavala Scholarship Corporation (HZS). This nonprofit organization provides scholarships[13], journalism camps[14], and paid internships[15] to aspiring journalists.
Personal life
[edit]Balta lives in the Chicago, Illinois with his wife, Adriana, and their two children, Isabella and Esteban.
References
[edit]- ^ "The Fulcrum's new executive editor: Hugo Balta". thefulcrum.us. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Meet the News Team - Latino News Network". 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Four Named to the NAHJ Hall of Fame 2016 – National Association of Hispanic Journalists". 2025-09-23. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Hugo Balta". ACES: The Society for Editing. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Window To The World Communications, Inc. Names Hugo Balta as News Director, WTTW News". WTTW Chicago. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ Feb 06, Campus Communications Staff /; 2023. "Chicago Reporter Names Hugo Balta Executive Editor". www.colum.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Nunez, Gabriela (2015-10-14). "One Nación leverages technology to deliver live bilingual, subtitled show tonight". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Hugo Balta - Faculty - Academics - Columbia College Chicago". www.colum.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Hugo Balta | Solutions Journalism Network". www.solutionsjournalism.org. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Hugo Balta". Journalism Courses by Knight Center. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ University, Medill-Northwestern. "Hugo Balta honored with 2024 Cecilia Vaisman Award for Multimedia Reporters - Medill - Northwestern University". www.medill.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ Nunez, Gabriela (2015-09-23). "ESPN at the NAHJ Excellence In Journalism (EIJ) Conference". ESPN Front Row. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "DeBuzz | Sections | DePaul University Newsline | DePaul University, Chicago". resources.depaul.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ "Journalism Camp: Meet The Fellows - NHLN". 2021-09-05. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
- ^ Campbell, Karen (2024-06-03). "The Midwest Newsroom and Latino News Network partner with Hortencia Zavala Foundation to host intern Isa Luzarraga". KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR. Retrieved 2025-09-08.