Bio
Mark Hinojosa is currently the Director of Interactive Media for The Detroit News where he leads efforts to enhance the digital delivery of news and information. He has presided over the integration of the print and web news teams, as well as developing the news operation's social media strategy. Previously, he was the Associate Managing Editor for Multimedia and the Associate Managing Editor for Photography for the Chicago Tribune. He was the first person at the Tribune to have held both A.M.E. positions.
Hinojosa joined the Chicago Tribune in 1991 and served as photo editor and as A.M.E. for Photography. His promotion to A.M.E. for Photography capped a 20-year career in photojournalism that included the Kansas City Star, New York Newsday and Chicago Tribune. He has held positions as a photojournalist, photo editor and photo department leader.
As the A.M.E. for Photography at the Tribune, Hinojosa oversaw a staff of 65 that included photographers, editors and lab staff. During his tenure, Hinojosa managed the transition from analog to digital photography, the introduction of video, and the professionalization of the photo editing staff.
While at the Tribune, Hinojosa filled the newly created position of A.M.E. for Electronic News, now Multimedia. In that role, Hinojosa worked as a liaison between print, broadcast and the Internet, facilitating the development of stories across these different media. Additionally, he developed innovative and cost-effective tools for audience engagement, as well as newsroom training programs in video and audio reporting.
During his tenure as A.M.E. for Multimedia, Hinojosa and his staff received numerous awards for their multimedia projects, including a Newspaper Association of America Edgie Award for Most Innovative Multimedia Storytelling, the Online News Association’s Service Journalism award, a local broadcast Emmy award and three additional Emmy nominations, including one national Emmy nomination.
Hinojosa has lectured both nationally and internationally on multimedia, newsroom convergence and audience engagement. Most recently he was a featured presenter for the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s 2010 Journalism Training Session in Xi'an, China. He was also the Hearst Visiting Professional at Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
A Los Angeles native, Hinojosa has lived in Chicago, IL, Kansas City, MO, and in three of the five boroughs of New York City. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Hinojosa has served on the boards of the Online News Association; Street Level Youth Media, an organization committed to teaching media awareness to urban youth, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, where he is a life-time member and has mentored both student and professional photojournalists. He is also a founding board member of the Knight-Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism. He is married to a communications specialist with whom he has three children, and, when time permits, is an avid fly-fisher.
