Leadership change at palabra reaffirms commitment to freelancers
palabra is going “punk.”
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists announced that palabra — the organization’s media outlet designed for freelancers — is changing hands as two co-managing editors take over the publication. Patricia Guadalupe and Rodrigo Cervantes replaced Valeria Fernández, splitting her previous role into two positions. They want to increase the number of journalists with which they collaborate, create new storytelling formats, and maintain funding for projects.
Their hope is to bring in “a little bit of rebellion” to the journalism featured on the NAHJ platform.
“I think we have a great opportunity for palabra to be a media laboratory, to experiment with new ways of doing journalism, new ways to give a voice to all of our colleagues,” Cervantes said. “And give them strength by giving palabra strength.”
The news outlet is an NAHJ initiative to provide freelancers with the paid opportunity to showcase their work and cover underreported stories from underrepresented communities. Cervantes and Guadalupe’s relationship with palabra stretches back to before its inception in 2019. They recalled initial conversations about the changing media landscape and a need to create opportunities for NAHJ freelancers who’ve been impacted by the instability in the journalism industry.
“We want to amplify our reach and our voice,” added Guadalupe.
Freelancers deal with job and income insecurity, a lack of health benefits and the grind of pitching stories. NAHJ has created to address these challenges.
Today the site boasts more than 300 contributors that have written stories about issues related to the Latino community.
“The idea is to pay our journalists their value and not bring their value down by bringing their salaries down,” said NAHJ President Dunia Elvir. “If we’re demanding from other companies to pay us well, we have to pay our freelancers and reporters well.”
She affirmed that NAHJ will “absolutely” continue to fund and grow palabra to have a much bigger presence, and she urged freelancers to send in their pitches.
The media site pays $1 per word and up to $350 for experienced photographers. It publishes stories on topics like LGBTQ+ issues, Latin America, immigration, education, culture, politics, health and climate change, as well as opinion and analysis pieces. Freelancers can pitch a project series and contribute to Así Fue, a podcast that invites journalists to talk about the intersection of their personal histories and their work.
But it’s so much more than just a media site, said Fernández, the outgoing managing editor. The initiative offers mentorship and a community through a network of Latino freelancers.
Fernández said that her experience at palabra has been critical in the next steps of her career.
“It was an opportunity to work as a mentor, beyond just being a managing editor, for many journalists,” she said. “I transformed into a person who can lead an organization.”
Fernández said she will remain a part of the palabra family and support the new managing editors as they navigate their new roles. Now she will focus her energy on AltaVoz Lab, an organization she founded that offers mentorship, support and funding opportunities.
In its next chapter, palabra the leaders said, will continue its legacy of being a home for storytelling that challenges convention while elevating narratives not found in the mainstream.
Photojournalist Zaydee Sanchez said when she first started, mainstream media wasn’t an option for her. She didn’t have the connections. She didn’t have the experience. But a palabra editor said yes to her passion project.
When a photo she took for palabra was republished in the Washington Post, doors flung open for her career.
“And with that these windows started cracking and I was able to squeeze in,” said Sanchez, who won the prestigious 2025 American Mosaic Journalism Prize.
Susan A. Barnett is a recent University of Arizona graduate with a master’s degree in bilingual journalism. She is the co-founder of the Tucson Spotlight, and has been named a 2025–26 Chips Quinn Fellow. Reach her at susan [at] tucsonspotlight [dot] org or on Instagram @Susanitalareportera.
