On this episode of West Texas Talk, Elise Pepple sits down with reporter in residence Mónica Ortiz Uribe. They talk about the qualities of a great journalist and the importance of telling the stories of those who are not often heard. Monica goes into her career, talking about key moments in her career where she was able to gain perspective on her own life and position, for example, what it meant to be able to cover a drug war in Juarez during the day and return home to El Paso at night when many of her colleagues did not have that luxury. She also shares some "wow" moments, including an interview with a man who drove his grand piano up a mountain in a dump truck full of potatoes.
More about Mónica:
Mónica Ortiz Uribe is a second generation Mexican-American who's dedicated her journalism career to writing about the U.S./Mexico border, where she was born and raised. She is currently a freelance reporter based in her hometown of El Paso. She last worked for Fronteras Desk, a regional public radio network focused on the southwest border. Among other topics, her stories explore the impacts of international trade, Mexican judicial reform, and water scarcity in the southwest. She was one of the few reporters based in El Paso to rigorously cover a violent drug war in Ciudad Juárez. Mónica has a degree in history from University of Texas at El Paso. This fall she'll be headed to Columbia Journalism School in New York to earn her master's degree. You catch her stories on national news shows like NPR's Morning Edition and PRI's The World.
