ESPN Producer to Speak at UA on Role of Hispanic Journalists

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Hugo Balta, coordinating producer for ESPN, will speak on the role of Hispanic journalists in the media at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in The University of Alabama’s Lloyd Hall, room 324.

The event is free and open to the public.

His visit is the culminating event for the University’s celebration of Hispanic Latino Heritage Month, which runs from mid-September to mid-October.

Balta is the former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, which advocates for fair representation of Latinos in the media and increased presence of those of Hispanic origin in the nation’s newsrooms.

As the co-founder of the Latino Multimedia Communicators group and as its diversity & inclusion media specialist, Balta develops and executes programs to increase awareness about the growing Latino community. Balta then travels as a guest speaker and lecturer, where he educates others on the importance of equal representation in the news.

Thursday’s lecture, “The Latino Image in the Media: Separating Fact from Fiction,” will review ways Latinos have been portrayed in film and on television in the past and present.

“Bringing someone who has that kind of national commitment to informing Americans about Latinos and Hispanics is a great opportunity for our students,” said Dr. George Daniels, associate professor in UA’s department of journalism and assistant dean in the College of Communication and Information Sciences.

UA sophomore Ellisa Bray, who double majors in journalism and international studies, represented UA with Daniels at the most recent annual conference of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

“It’s important that Hispanics are represented equally,” Bray said.

Balta joined ESPN in 2011 and is in charge of such programs such as “SportsCenter,” “NBA Tonight,” “College Basketball Live” and “NFL Live.” He worked as the senior producer for MSNBC, as the media consultant for Picaflor Media Group and as the vice president of news/news director of Telemundo 47 for NBC Universal.