John Quiñones: The practices of a great journalist showcased

Audrianna Wilde

aw455919@ohio.edu

audrianna.wilde@gmail.com

    The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University gave their Carr Van Anda award to ABC correspondent and "What Would You Do?" TV show host John Quiñones on Tuesday, Oct. 18. The award, which is named after the former Ohio University student and managing editor of The New York Times who used his writing and editing skills to transform The New York Times into the highly regarded international newspaper that we see today, is awarded each year to journalists recognized for outstanding work in their field.

John Quiñones gave his talk to journalism students Tuesday night. Photo courtesy of OUSPJ.

    While John Quiñones is mainly known for his hit TV series, his work as a journalist is outstanding, and his career's journey is one that is inspiring and a true tale of hard work and determination. John Quiñones spoke with journalism students about his work and his goal to depict the great human mosaic of our lived experiences in his stories. 

    John Quiñones grew up in Texas. His ancestors were immigrants from Mexico, and although his family had lived in the U.S. for decades, they were poor, and did not know any English. However, Quiñones did not let these factors stop him from pursing his dream to be a broadcast reporter. Quiñones said in his talk, that he always was taking "little steps forward". Any opportunity he got, he took. 

    Today, Quiñones has a long career behind him of almost 40 years in journalism. His stories, which can be found on his website, range from coverage of Jane Goodall's work in Africa studying chimpanzees, to heartbreaking yet eye-opening stories of homeless children living in the sewers of Bogota, Columbia, and modern day slavery in the Dominican Republic, where children were forced to cut sugar cane with no pay.

    During his talk, Quiñones also talked about a story he covered by posing as an immigrant wanting to cross the border, all while secretly recording and videotaping his whole experience. According to the SPJ code of ethics, undercover reporting should be avoided unless open methods of information gathering will not yield information vital to the public. Quiñones' story showed the emotionally and physically challenging act of crossing the border fully and truthfully, in a way that was never before seen. 

    Quiñones' work is a prime example of the journalist's job done the right way: ethically. Quiñones has told stories that tell the whole truth, opening up the public's eyes to their right to know about the stories of marginalized people in the Hispanic community, giving a voice to the voiceless.