NAHJ Names Veteran Investigative Journalist Tamoa Calzadilla as palabra Managing Editor

NAHJ hires Tamoa Calzadilla, a Panama Papers contributor and 2025 Knight Fellow, to lead palabra as it expands its reach and impact for Latino communities.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) has hired veteran investigative journalist Tamoa Calzadilla as Managing Editor of its independent multimedia platform, palabra.

This leadership investment marks a critical step in NAHJ’s strategic effort to expand palabra into a national model for high-impact, community-centered journalism serving Latino audiences.

“Hiring Tamoa reflects our commitment to building sustainable infrastructure that supports Latino journalists and ensures our communities are accurately represented in the national narrative,” said NAHJ Executive Director Yaneth Guillen-Diaz. “Our goal is to grow palabra’s reach, deepen its impact and establish long-term financial sustainability.”

Founded in 2019, palabra is a bilingual multimedia platform designed to elevate the voices of Latino journalists and fill critical gaps in coverage. It provides freelance journalists with a platform, editorial support and compensation to produce in-depth reporting on stories often overlooked by mainstream media.

As newsroom layoffs and misinformation disproportionately impact Spanish-speaking and Latino communities, palabra plays a unique role in expanding access to trusted, culturally competent journalism. It supports independent and emerging journalists, strengthens media literacy and works to combat disinformation while ensuring Latino communities remain visible in national conversations.

Calzadilla brings more than 25 years of experience in investigative reporting, newsroom leadership and media innovation. Her work has focused on exposing corruption, advancing human rights and addressing misinformation targeting Latino audiences.

She received a Special Citation from the Maria Moors Cabot Prize and was named Journalist of the Year by the News Literacy Project in 2024. She has contributed to global investigations, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers and was a 2025 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University.

A native of Venezuela, she was a senior investigative journalist at Univision Network News in Miami for five years before she became director of the network’s Spanish-language fact-checking division called elDetector.

From 2022 to 2025, Calzadilla served as editor-in-chief of Factchequeado, a national collaborative dedicated to addressing misleading content and promoting media literacy for Spanish-speaking communities in the United States.

In 2025, she co-founded Acento Story Tank, a bilingual consortium of media creators that trains journalists and promotes media literacy.

Her appointment signals a new phase for palabra, one focused on scaling editorial production, deepening partnerships and increasing national visibility and impact.

“I’m inspired by the opportunity to serve the community of Hispanic journalists and the communities they inform, and to build on the strong foundation of palabra to expand its reach, impact, and long-term sustainability," said Calzadilla. "I’m here to listen and to work together to tell the stories that only we can tell: las historias que merecen ser contadas.”

Palabra produces original reporting, a free bilingual newsletter and collaborates with national media partners to amplify its stories. Its work has gained national recognition, including the 2025 and 2026 Heising-Simons Mosaic Journalism Prize awarded to palabra contributors.

Current co-managing editors Rodrigo Cervantes and Patricia Guadalupe will continue to work with palabra as freelance editors, ensuring continuity and editorial quality.

As NAHJ continues to expand palabra, it seeks philanthropic partners to help scale the production of its original reporting, opportunities for freelance journalists, broader distribution and audience reach.

Jacqueline Baylon
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
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