In honor of November 17 as National Journalism Day, the Independent revisits the accomplishments and advice of Telemundo anchor Alfonso Gutiérrez, who spoke to NEIU on two separate occasions within the past year.
In April 2024, Gutiérrez was a featured speaker hosted by the Communications, Media, and Theater (CMT) department to celebrate the launch of Telemundo Academy, a partnership between NEIU and Telemundo to streamline students’ journalism experience from an academic environment to a professional one, particularly emphasizing representation in Hispanic media.
According to a university-wide email introducing the program, “Northeastern is the first university in the Midwest chosen by Telemundo and its partner organization, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), to participate in this exciting initiative and increase Hispanic representation in broadcast media.”
Speaking to a classroom full of attendees, Gutiérrez highlighted the challenges he faced as an English as a Second Language (ESL) learner.
“A lot of our students have a story similar to Alfonso in really overcoming obstacles and being bicultural,” said Edie Rubinowitz, NEIU’s journalism professor for the Community Media class that Gutiérrez talked to. “The Telemundo folks were really, really impressed and moved by it, because it resonated so much with them–this idea of giving back to their community, of sharing stories of their struggles and their successes.”
Upon his arrival in the United States at 19 years of age, Gutiérrez started working in construction and a factory, while simultaneously taking college-level ESL classes. “Being realistic, I knew that I wanted to work on TV, but there were a lot of moments where I’m like, ‘maybe I’m not going to make it’ because I was 20, maybe 21. I forgot the age,” said Gutiérrez. “When you’re at that age, you’re like, ‘oh my god, I’m too old and I’m just starting college.’”
He recalls bringing dictionaries with him to every class and looking up words every time he couldn’t understand something–a phenomenon that happened a lot. “And my dream of working on TV … There were a lot of times that I thought that it wasn’t going to happen,” Gutiérrez said, pausing for emphasis, “but I just kept going.”
It was his dream that kept him going. “I don’t really know that there was a point,” said Gutiérrez, referring to the starting point of his career. “But I always knew that I wanted to work on TV, even though I grew up on a farm in a small town.”
Even though his dad only went to elementary school, Gutiérrez found him a fascinating storyteller. “When we were kids, when the lights were off because we didn’t have any energy … he [would] make up spooky stories. He was the best at it,” said Gutiérrez. “He planted that seed for me to tell stories, but on a whole different level.”
Fast forward many years, Gutiérrez now reports on breaking news and news important to Spanish-speaking viewers in Chicago. To date, he has received 20 Emmy nominations and eight Emmy Awards for his impact.
Like Gutiérrez, NEIU senior Ulices Lopez, a CMT major and Journalism minor, also comes from an immigrant family. “[Gutiérrez’s] story and how he was able to be really successful in the field … really resonated with me … and gave me inspiration, like, ‘oh, I can do this too,’” said Lopez.
“It’s a multi-part statement that you may face trials, and you may feel inadequate, and you may fail, but you can still succeed, and you can still have a job that you absolutely love and find meaning in and make money,” Professor Rubinowitz said. “And Alfonso, I think, was a great example of that.”
Establishing opportunities for himself while he was in college was the key that led Gutiérrez to report on such impactful events outside of school and even outside the city. “It was a lot of adrenaline but crazy … I was fortunate enough to cover this for Telemundo and NBC,” Gutiérrez said of his reporting on the election of Mexico’s president this past June.
What Gutiérrez finds most exciting about his work is being able to tell stories, especially when he is able to do so in a way that empowers the voiceless to have a voice; “especially with, let’s say undocumented immigrants, … [we] show that their story has value, and to give another angle of why it’s important, those kinds of stories, … sometimes they wouldn’t have a voice if we wouldn’t tell this story.”
Additionally, there is a creative aspect of newscasting that’s very appealing to Gutiérrez. “The times the text isn’t that personal with the writers? I just write it in my own way,” he said, explaining that the reports he and other anchors get are typically written in a very matter-of-fact manner, and often will include more details than necessary. Gutiérrez then revises the text before practicing, rewriting it to better connect with his audience “not because I feel uncomfortable with the words, but I feel like it’s more me.”
The creativity the Community Media class offers is a highlight for Lopez, who is similarly looking to incorporate more of it into his journalistic practices. “I’ve always been interested in the media aspect,” he said, elaborating on his passions in both audio production and sports. Noting a slide with a list of possible careers used during Gutiérrez’s presentation, Lopez would like to explore the possibility of being a sports cameraman. Especially after having been able to explore that avenue through a class project, he sees his engagement with sports as being “a journalist on the sidelines.”
After speaking with the event’s organizers, Lopez looks forward to joining Telemundo Academy and the possibility of covering the World Cup in the coming years.
On organizing this event, Professor Rubinowitz said, “the television crew [came] in … we had to plan out the logistics for all that, be sure the university could offer support … there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work to set it up, into making that day work.” Then she said half-jokingly, “Next time, we’ll probably need to get a bigger room.”
Gutiérrez made another appearance at NEIU in October as emcee of the inauguration ceremony for President Bell-Jordan, again speaking to a full crowd. The goal of a bigger room was indeed achieved – just like Gutiérrez’s goal to successfully do representative reporting of his people for a career.
