Jorge Ramos has become a household name the likes of Dan Rather or Brian Williams, and it’s undeniable that the United States has been good to the Mexican-born journalist. He is an anchor on Univision’s news program Noticiero Univision, a syndicated columnist and an author of several bestsellers. He’s the number one Hispanic correspondent on television, and his newscast is seen across the United States and in 13 Latin American countries.
“I was censored in Mexico as a young reporter, and I found in the United States the opportunities my country of origin couldn’t give me,” Ramos said. He feels he has achieved the American Dream and so much more. He never expected to end up in the United States but credits much of his success to it. “I’m incredibly grateful to this country because I don’t think in Mexico I would have achieved all the things that I’ve accomplished in the United States.”
Achievements of Jorge Ramos
Ramos has won eight Emmy awards for excellence in journalism; he has made appearances on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Early Show, ABC's Nightline, CNN's Larry King Live, Crossfire and Lou Dobbs, Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, and PBS’ Charlie Rose among others. He has also interviewed some of the most influential people in the world including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, George Bush, John Kerry, John Edwards, Castro, Fox, Zedillo, Salinas de Gortari, sub commander Marcos, Hugo Chavez, Octavio Paz, Isabel Allende, Carlos Fuentes, and Mario Vargas Llosa.
“There are many interviews that you remember for different reasons,” he said. “The stronger, the more corrupt, the more dangerous the interview the better; a good interview inevitably has an element of danger and controversy. So whenever you speak with dictators like Fidel Castro or authoritarians like Hugo Chavez there is no question you’re going to have a good interview.” He says he is still impressed each time he goes to the White House to interview the president of the United States.
Jorge Ramos Biography
Ramos is at the top of his game, but he had an inauspicious start. He was born in Mexico City on March 16, 1958, the oldest of five children. He worked at a Mexico City radio station, but left for the United States after one of his reports was censored by Mexican television.
He came to Los Angeles in 1983 with a student visa and worked as a waiter before landing a job as a reporter on the Univision affiliate station in 1984. Two short years later he was hosting the morning show Mundo Latino, and in November he became a national anchorman at only 28 years old. Ramos has been the anchorman for Noticiero Univision since 1986. He moved from Los Angeles to Miami, where he lives to this day.
He speaks eloquently about his role as a journalist. “I wanted to become a journalist to interview the people who would change the world and to have the opportunity to be a witness to history,” he said. “Journalism has been for me a ticket to see the world; I mean, to be a journalist is one of the most exciting things that any human being could ever be.”
However, he is careful to distinguish between his roles as news anchor and commentator. “Even though I’m a journalist I have these two completely different roles,” he said. “And I will never give my opinion on the air. I was not hired to do that. Not to cry or laugh on the air, but on the other hand when I write my books and write my columns and give my opinions, I do provide perspective and analysis.” A full list of his published works is available at his website.
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