Q: What is the state of press freedom in your country?
CE: When I started thirty years ago, it was a very different situation. You couldn’t even mention there was another political party besides the one that was ruling the country. We have come a long way. Ten years ago, we still had a very tough situation, but now it is different; we are working very hard. We know we’ll never have a perfect situation--I don’t think any country has that--but we are a lot better than what we used to be, even ten years ago.
Q: What are the biggest challenges for women journalists in your country?
CE: I think professionally speaking, you can go as far as you set your mind to. You will have some challenges in the sense that a woman can be treated differently at the time you are requesting the information or getting it, but you will always get whatever you want to get. I mean, I have no doubt about it. The terrible situation is in terms of salary, in terms of positions. It is very tough, as a matter of fact…and you will hardly ever see a woman making decisions as to what to cover or how to cover it, and you will hardly see a woman in my position, for example, who produces independently. I am the only one in the border region, the largest and most visited region between Mexico and the United States. That tells you something.
Q: How do you and other women journalists face these challenges?
CE: What I basically do is focus on the work that I really want to do because I am really convinced that is what the viewers need to know and want to know. And I guess everything else comes with that--money, recognition, and anything you might expect will come with that.