Liz Balmaseda
Encyclopedia
Liz Balmaseda is a Pulitzer Prize
-winning journalist, who writes for the The Palm Beach Post
newspaper.
Balmaseda was born in Puerto Padre, Cuba amidst the Cuban Revolution
. Her family emigrated to the United States
, and she grew up in Miami, Florida
. She received an associate's degree
from Miami-Dade Community College, and then a bachelor's degree
from Florida International University
in communications
in 1981.
She had been an intern
for the Miami Herald in 1980, and was hired upon her graduation in 1981 to write for El Herald, the Miami Heralds Spanish-language
sister paper. She worked in this and several other reporting assignments at the Herald until 1985, when she left to become Central America
bureau chief, based in El Salvador
, for Newsweek
. She moved to NBC News
as a field producer based in Honduras
before returning to the Herald in Miami in November 1987 as a feature writer.
Balmaseda was awarded her first Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1993 for her writings on the plight of Cuba
n and Haiti
an refugees. Her second was awarded for breaking-news reporting in 2001, for her role in covering the story of Elián González
. That same year, she won the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature
.
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning journalist, who writes for the The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post
The Palm Beach Post is a major daily newspaper in Florida, serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and the Treasure Coast area. It is the 72nd largest daily newspaper in the United States and the sixth largest in Florida.-History:...
newspaper.
Balmaseda was born in Puerto Padre, Cuba amidst the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. Her family emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and she grew up in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. She received an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
from Miami-Dade Community College, and then a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
in communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
in 1981.
She had been an intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
for the Miami Herald in 1980, and was hired upon her graduation in 1981 to write for El Herald, the Miami Heralds Spanish-language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
sister paper. She worked in this and several other reporting assignments at the Herald until 1985, when she left to become Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
bureau chief, based in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. She moved to NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
as a field producer based in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
before returning to the Herald in Miami in November 1987 as a feature writer.
Balmaseda was awarded her first Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1993 for her writings on the plight of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n and Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an refugees. Her second was awarded for breaking-news reporting in 2001, for her role in covering the story of Elián González
Elián González
The custody and immigration status of a young Cuban boy, Elián González , was at the center of a heated 2000 controversy involving the governments of Cuba and the United States, González's father, Juan Miguel González Quintana, González's other relatives in Miami, Florida, and in Cuba, and Miami's...
. That same year, she won the Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization operating out of Reston, Virginia that works to increase the number of Latina and Latino leaders in society...
.