Journalism For the Good of Humankind
Emiliana Molina speaks to Foreign Press USA on the power of storytelling and how her reporting helped save a man from deportation and a death sentence.
Emiliana Molina was a bilingual anchor and multimedia journalist at NBC 7 and Telemundo 20 in San Diego, California. She was also a political correspondent in the nation's capital covering the White House, Capitol Hill, State Department, the Organization of American States, and more for Noticias RCN and NTN24. She graduated with a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and she was a scholarship recipient from the White House Correspondents Association. She was deeply involved in the coverage of Trump's first impeachment, Venezuela's geopolitical crisis, the crisis in detention centers across the U.S., and much more.
Emiliana Molina
Which story did you report on most recently?
A Cameroonian detainee who was about to be deported and faced a death sentence in Africa for a crime he did not commit. My story helped free him from the detention center in California and he is now awaiting a hearing in the U.S. in Maryland.
How did that story make you feel?
It was hard work, long months of investigation and hours of reading, writing, and speaking to lawyers but the hard work always pays off. It has been the biggest story in my career and it gave me hope and helped me believe again in journalism for the good of humankind and how our stories can still have a positive social impact.
As a journalist, what would you define as a special story?
A story that presents a problem and gives a solution to the challenge leading to positive social change or growth.
Do you consider the work of foreign journalists to be important? Why?
Yes, they offer an outside perspective and can help shape the narrative being told inside the U.S. with an outlook on how the decisions made here can impact the rest of the world.
What is it that people in the United States do not know about the foreign journalists who work in this country?
There are different angles to the stories being told inside the United States and by different national news outlets compared to the way some stories are told by foreign correspondents. The angles vary and the decisions made by the Oval Office have an impact on the world.
How can journalism impact society? Do you feel you have an impact on society? In what ways?
Yes, every day the words we use, how we write, what stories we tell all have an impact in communities and hence the world. The way we tell stories, the narrative, and how we portray characters is meaningful and can either help advance people or it may hinder their image. We have to write and tell stories wisely. The power of storytelling can change the world for good or for bad. Journalists decide. That's powerful.
What message would you like the AFC-USA to convey to foreign journalists on your behalf?
Choose your words wisely, investigate your sources and find every angle of a story. We deliver facts, not opinions.
