CNN Finally Signs Latina Contributor
Politico's Laura Barrón-López hired as a political analyist
Politico reporter Laura Barron-Lopez joined CNN as a political analyst last week, announcing the hire with a tweet:
CNN’s front office did not reply to our jubilant texts of approbation for hiring Laura, who will continue in her role as a reporter for Politico through a payday arrangement we call ‘double-dipping’, whereby a journalist for a print or digital publication (in Laura’s case, Politico) receives a second paycheck from a broadcast network (in Laura’s case, CNN) to offer her expertise on-air.
We admire this hustle and hope to see more Latinas, especially Latina millennials, rise to the elite ranks of thought leadership as Laura has in the months and weeks since she began appearing regularly on CNN.
Why This Matters?
Laura is the only Latina contributor we can recall in recent memory signed by any “Big Three” cable network. The last two Latina contributors we can recall CNN signing are Maria Cardona (signed in 2011) and Ana Navarro, whose signing date we cannot find.
Latinas remain shamefully scarce across the imploding, nationwide pool of journalists still employed in U.S. newsrooms. To CNN’s credit, network anchor Ana Cabrera is arguably the most-visible Latina broadcaster of the year in U.S. news television; with MSNBC’s Mariana Atencio coming in a close second.
CNN promoted Cabrera in early 2017 from the relative obscurity of the network’s Denver bureau to a TV news talent equivalent of a baptism by fire — eight weekly hours of live TV news hosting live on CNN network, a workload has only grown since, as Cabrera has cut her teeth as the new talent in CNN’s Manhattan studios by covering for her on-air colleagues with low-key grace and flawless consistency in her broadcasting.
A Dream Outcome
With so few Latinas on-air, it would be great if CNN’s Latina talent worked together to elevate more Latinx women onto the network’s airwaves — not just as CNN en Español guests, but as broadcasters on the network’s premium product (i.e. CNN’s network shows) and throughout CNN’s English-language platforms, as well.