Last week, we posed the following question to the TV news community: What are you doing to decompress and take a breather while covering the COVID-19 pandemic?
We heard from a wide variety of newsers—everyone from Bill Hemmer, to Stephanie Ruhle, Julio Vaqueiro and many more.
Journalists from Univision provided us with their thoughts later in the week.
Noticiero Univision co-anchor Ilia Calderón told us when she’s home she likes to disconnect with the help of my husband Eugene and her daughter Anna.
“Children have a way of seeing things differently and putting into perspective what is most important,” she said. “We like to watch movies together, cook delicious foods and really just enjoy each other’s company. There is also a lot of school work to take care of throughout the week. I also like to read a good book at night and talk to my sisters, nieces and nephews, who live in New Zealand and Colombia, to see how they are doing. Family is the most important support during these difficult times.”
Ilia Calderón’s daughter, Anna
Co-anchor of the network’s weekend evening newscast Noticiero Univision Fin de Semana, Arantxa Loizaga told us she recognizes the balance she needs to keep between staying informed and doing her work as a news anchor, but also keeping herself healthy.
“So, I started to take long walks with my husband, my sister and my beautiful four-legged fury babies,” said Loizaga. “I also make an effort to call or FaceTime more often the people that I love.”
Loizaga is also learning to play an instrument. “I’ve begun to research the RAV Vast drum to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing a musical instrument. Hoping that I can somehow master it through the cunning use of YouTube, I’ve seen dozens of videos,” she said. “So my wish is, that at the end of this pandemic, when we return to our new normal, I’ll be ready to walk for miles on end playing songs to lift the spirit of those around me!”
Jairo Marin, who’s the ep of Univision’s Sunday prime-time newsmagazine Aquí y Ahora (Here and Now), does genealogy in his downtime, an increasingly popular pastime among Americans and Latin Americans alike.
“I have been working on my family history for a decade. My family tree is populated by over 2,200 individuals and around 3,400 pictures, documents and stories so far,” said Marin. “To get away from the current fears, I take refuge in the past. As I read and research, I find out about my ancestors’ struggles, failures and achievements.”
Marin, who also does yoga and practices mediation, added after diving into his genealogy, “everything falls into perspective. I feel humble, understand my place in the moment and look forward to a new day, regardless if it is Friday, or even, Monday.”
