National Journalist Visits Campus to Help Train Reporters

Award-winning journalist Cecilia Vega will visit campus this month to mentor students and discuss the importance of ethical watchdog reporting.

Vega's 25-year career has taken her to war zones, border towns, the White House, on a trek up Mount Everest and to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean in a submarine.

In Fayetteville, she will speak to hundreds of students during classroom visits and share her experiences with students and Northwest Arkansas residents in a public event Monday, Oct. 5, at George's Majestic Lounge from 6-8 p.m. The events are sponsored by the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

"Cecilia's dogged reporting on the national and international stage will inspire our students, who are starting their careers at a difficult time for the profession," said Bret Schulte, director of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

Vega most recently served as a CBS News correspondent for 60 Minutes after previously covering the White House for ABC News. She has also anchored Good Morning America and the Saturday edition of World News Tonight.

"She is a trailblazer, as the first Latina correspondent on 60 Minutes and the first Latina chief White House correspondent for an English language news network," said Gina Shelton, director of the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy. "She's been fearless in her reporting, and our students are so fortunate to have valuable time with her."

Vega, who won an Emmy for her reporting on border issues, has covered every midterm and presidential election since 2012, as well as the presidencies of Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Barack Obama. During Trump's first term, including the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, her one-on-one exchanges with the president produced several widely covered moments.

Her field experience includes reporting at locations such as neck-high floodwaters following Hurricane Katrina, a Philippine Navy ship after it was struck and surrounded by the Chinese Navy and the radioactive power plant in Japan's Fukushima.

Vega was named 2024 Latina Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and she will spend time on campus with members of the U of A NAHJ chapter.

"Cecilia Vega is a bright star in journalism," said Ninette Sosa, NAHJ chapter adviser and SJSM faculty member. "Her strong writing and attention to detail bring stories to the public with compassion and clarity. A longtime NAHJ member and supporter, Vega has been recognized for her contributions to journalism and the Latino community, winning the highest honors in the industry."

Her report about Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison won a duPont-Columbia Award, the George Polk Award and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award.

Vega began her career in her hometown as a print reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle before moving into broadcast journalism at ABC's San Francisco affiliate, KGO. She joined ABC News in 2011, beginning her career at the national reporting level.

Vega has visited Arkansas before. She was ABC's lead correspondent on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, logging more than 239,000 air miles over more than 500 days.

About the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy: The mission of the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy at the University of Arkansas is to prepare students for challenges they will face in the real world as creators and consumers of media. The center moves toward its vision of building a generation of ethical and engaged professionals by supplementing classroom training with expert-led programming, collaborating with professors, and pushing for increased access to media ethics and literacy education at the University of Arkansas and beyond.

About the School of Journalism and Strategic Media: The School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas offers full-time and part-time degree programs for undergraduates as well as a graduate master's degree program. SJSM students major in journalism or advertising and public relations, and they receive instruction, guidance and access to hands-on experience from seasoned, award-winning faculty and staff. The school is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and media literacy. The U of A journalism program was established by Walter J. Lemke in 1930.