In photos: María Elena Salinas: a life dedicated to journalism

She started out as a journalist in Los Angeles in 1981 and since then her face and voice have been a fixture in the homes of millions of Hispanic families in the United States. Her last day at the network was Friday Dec 12th.

Por:Univision

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María Elena Salinas was the first Latina to receive an Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement from the The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

David Maris.

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María Elena Salinas next to the US tanks in Baghdad, Iraq. She was born in Los Angeles, California in 1954, to Mexican parents.

Univision

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One of her most controversial interviews was with Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Mexico.

Univision

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Interviewing Panamanian strongman Manuel Antonio Noriega in the late 1980s.

Univision

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In 2004, María Elena Salinas moderated the first bilingual presidential debate of the Democratic Party on Hispanic issues, and three years later she co-hosted the Spanish-language forums of the Democratic and Republican parties that were held for the first time and were broadcast by Univision. Seen here with co-host Jorge Ramos and former president Barack Obama.

Getty Images

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Questioning Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, one of the many interviews that she conducted with Latin American leaders.

Univision

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María Elena Salinas and Rudy Giuliani, the Republican former mayor of New York.

Univision

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Her career as a journalist has led her to cover natural disasters inside and outside the US, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake or the tornadoes that swept Oklahoma in 2013, among others.

Univision

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Interviewing the former presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton.

Univision

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'Timochenko,' ex leader of the FARC, with María Elena Salinas, in an interview for Univision.

Univision

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María Elena Salinas talks with some women in Baghdad, Iraq.

Univision

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María Elena Salinas interviews Senator John McCain, former presidential candidate for the Republican Party.

Univision

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Maria Elena Salinas in Washington. In 2006 she published an autobiography entitled 'I am my father's daughter. Living a life without secrets'.

Univision

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Giving the commencement speech at California State University.

Matthew Gush / CSU Fullerton

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María Elena Salinas with former President Barack Obama and First Lady in the White House.

The White House

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Maria Elena Salinas looks over the Univision Newsport on hr last day with the network.

Univision