Baylor Journalism to Host Dallas Morning News Mexico City Bureau Chief

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
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by Jessie Jilovec, student newswriter

WACO, Texas (Oct. 9, 2018) – Baylor University’s department of journalism, public relations and new media in the College of Arts & Sciences will host Alfredo Corchado, author and Mexico City bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News, for a lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, in room 101 of the Marrs McLean Science Building, 1214 S. Fourth St.

In his lecture, “The Border: The Epicenter of Our Homelands,” Corchado will discuss his new book, “Homelands: Four Friends, Two Countries and the Fate of the Great Mexican-American Migration,” which tells the story of Mexican immigration to the United States over the last three decades from the perspective of four friends who first meet in a restaurant in Philadelphia in 1987.

The event is free and open to the public. Baylor’s Hispanic Student Association will host a reception immediately following Corchado’s discussion.

Sara Stone, Ph.D., professor and chair of journalism, public relations and new media, said Corchado’s lecture will bring discussion and consideration to a current political issue.

“Immigration and border issues are at the heart of political and social discussions in America today, so we are incredibly fortunate to have a journalist with the expertise and international experience of Alfredo Corchado on campus,” Stone said.

Corchado’s book focuses on his friendship and conversations over several decades with three men – two from Mexico and one a Mexican-American – that he met after he moved to Philadelphia in 1987. At the time, Corchado said he and the other men – one an immigrant rights activist, one a restauranteur and the other a lawyer and politician– felt like they were the only Mexicans in the city. As Corchado continued to meet with these friends for more than 30 years, he said in his friends’ stories are the larger narratives of the biggest migration shift of Mexicans in U.S. history.

“I wanted to find people who exemplified the experience of the Mexican in the U.S. from all angles,” Corchado said.

Corchado began his career as a journalist for The Wall Street Journal in the Philadelphia and Dallas bureaus and later moved to Scripps-Howard as a U.S.-Mexico border correspondent in El Paso.

In 1994, he began his career with The Dallas Morning News, first out of Arlington, Texas, covering stories such as city hall issues, but later, he said he got his dream job as a foreign correspondent based in Mexico City. He also has reported from Havana, Cuba, and Washington, D.C.

Corchado said he became interested in journalism when he was working as an underage 13-year-old farmworker in the fields of San Joaquin Valley in California. A television crew interviewed him about the conditions he endured.

“I was inspired that someone actually wanted to give me a voice,” Corchado said. “Over the years, I’ve realized that journalism is an incurable disease. I can’t seem to walk away from it. It’s also a way to reconnect with my roots, my language and culture on both sides of the border, which I consider home.”

Corchado earned his associate degree from El Paso Community College and Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. When he began his career as a journalist in Mexico, Corchado said he wanted to cover issues of immigration and the emptying of Mexico, specifically after globalization with the North American Free Trade Agreement. Today, he said the issues that most resonate today relate to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“What I want to do with my coverage is serve as a bridge, even if at times it feels like a broken bridge,” Corchado said.

For more information on Corchado’s lecture, contact the department of journalism at 254-710-3261.

ABOUT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments and seven academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.