AUSTIN, Texas —Latino USAExecutive Director Kate Dearborn has announced that Maria Emilia Martin, executive producer and correspondent for the program, has been selected as a winner of the prestigious Unda-USA Gabriel Award for her story “Who Were the Torturers? The Betrayal of Sister Dianna Ortiz.”
The special two-part Latino USAseries aired in November 1999 on National Public Radio° (NPR). Public radio listeners can hear the special again when it is rebroadcast on Aug. 25 and Sept. 1 on NPR. Check www.latinousa.org for more information. Martin recently was honored with a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for her story of Sister Ortiz, which she produced while on fellowship with The Kiplinger Public Affairs Program at Ohio State University.
In “The Betrayal of Sister Dianna Ortiz,” Martin revealed new information, obtained from a former federal agent, about the abduction of a U.S. nun in Guatemala, 10 years after she was kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted by individuals she believes were members of the Guatemalan military. The program reported revelations about the U.S. government’s involvement with this incident and with repressive Latin American military regimes. Sister Ortiz had accused the U.S. government of suppressing knowledge about her torturers.
“Maria Martin has done an excellent job of demonstrating the most important role public radio plays in America’s national dialogue — bringing unheard voices to the ears of listeners around the country and telling stories that otherwise would not have been told,” said Bill Davis, senior vice-president for programming at National Public Radio. “Latino USAtells these important stories every week. It is an integral part of NPR’s service to the country.”
Latino USAis one of a number of prestigious Gabriel recipients, including ABC News’ 20/20, Dateline NBC,the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the NBC Nightly News. Winners were selected based on their ability to “raise our consciousness to focus on what is right and goodÃto provide the world with quality programming which (it) so desperately needs.”
“Latino USAis a unique and important program to Latino and non-Latino listeners alike,” said Larry Mantle, program director at KPCC-FM in Los Angeles, the second-largest Latino market in the US. “This award is well-earned.”
Launched in 1993, Latino USA provides diverse audiences with multiple perspectives on issues affecting Latinos, fostering cross-cultural understanding, enhancing relationships among Latino communities and illuminating the richness of Latino cultural and artistic expression. The program is distributed by NPR and the Longhorn Radio Network to 172 stations in 31 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Radio Bilingüe and the Armed Forces Radio service expand the program’s reach to additional listeners and worldwide audiences.
Support for Latino USAis provided by the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts and The University of Texas at Austin. Special funding for “Who Were the Torturers? The Betrayal of Sister Dianna Ortiz” came from The Paul Robeson Fund and The Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Latino USAis a production partnership of KUT Radio and the Center for Mexican American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. The host of Latino USAis award winning journalist, author, and CNN Urban Affairs correspondent Maria Hinijosa. The Austin-based production group includes Angelica Luevano, Alex Avila and Walter Morgan.
Renowned for its journalistic excellence and standard-setting news, information and cultural programming, NPR serves a growing audience of nearly 15 million Americans each week via more than 644 public radio stations. NPR also distributes programming to listeners in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa via NPR Worldwide, to military installations overseas via American Forces Network and throughout Japan via cable.
