Jesús Ayala is one of the most distinguished and decorated bilingual journalism professors in the country, bringing over 20 years of professional journalism experience into the classroom. As a veteran award-winning news producer, Ayala has won four national Emmys and seven Edward R. Murrow Awards, and has trained and mentored ten Emmy winners and nine Murrow Award winners.

Prof. Ayala teaches courses in both English and Spanish and specializes in broadcast journalism, field producing, multimedia production, international reporting and reporting about race and ethnicity. Prof. Ayala also oversees the nationally recognized award-winning newscast Al Día— under his leadership Al Día has won over 60 national collegiate journalism awards and became the first ever Emmy award-winning broadcast within the CSU’s 23 campuses. The show has also won a Hearst Award, a Pacemaker Award for overall excellence, and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Best TV newscast.

Prior to transitioning into academia, Mr. Ayala covered breaking news stories from around the world as a Producer for all ABC News broadcasts including World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Nightline and 20/20. He excelled as an expert covering Latin America and South America and covered the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the Pope’s visits to Cuba, civil disturbances in Venezuela, and the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile. In 2008, he covered Barack Obama's historic presidential campaign as a white house pool producer. Moreover, he has covered all major natural disasters— from earthquakes, wildfires, and floods to tornadoes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina. While at ABC, he worked with news icons like Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Ted Koppel, and the late Peter Jennings. He is also the Executive Producer of End of the Road, a documentary that chronicles the plight of children left behind in Latin America who made the harrowing journey to the United States to be reunited with their parents.

He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism. Prof. Ayala serves as a judge for the Golden Mike Awards, the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Research Areas

Prof. Ayala studies cultural competency, bilingual education, and the role that mass media plays in shaping social constructs about race and ethnicity.

Books and Publications

Puente, T., Retis, J., Aguilar, A., Ayala, J. (2022). Reporting on Latino/a/x Communities: A Guide for Journalists, Routledge. This is a practical journalism textbook for reporting in multiple platforms on the diverse Latinx community with cultural sensitivity. Main themes include reporting on immigration, race, age and gender. The book also covers how to report bilingually and in Spanish in different media platforms such as print, online, radio and television.

Ayala, J. (2021) Going for the Gold: How My Latino Students and I Overcame Imposter-syndrome to Win an Emmy Award. Published in Inside Higher Education. The article explores the prevalence of imposter-syndrome among students and faculty of color.

Ayala, J. (2021) Spanglish Newscast Breaks Mold and Resonates with Younger Viewers. Published in Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education Magazine. The article examines why “Spanglish” should be embraced as a legitimate language for reaching younger TV audiences including millennials and zoomers.

Ayala, J. (2020) Dispatch from the Frontlines: The Coronavirus' Staggering Toll on Journalists’ Mental Health in Fellow, A. American Media History: The Story of Journalism and American Mass Communications, Cognella Publishing. This book presents an assessment of journalism and mass media in America, including fake news, and the progress, problems and challenges of American journalism and mass communications today.

Professional Awards and Nominations

Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence ('17)

Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence ('16)

Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence ('15)

Edward R. Murrow Award for Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak (’15)

Edward R. Murrow Award Best Video Coverage for Gabrielle Giffords
Shooting ('15)

Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence ('14)

National Daytime Emmy for Good Morning America: Outstanding Morning Program ('16)

National Daytime Emmy for Good Morning America: Outstanding Morning Program ('14)

National News Emmy for Inauguration 2009: Barack Obama ('09)

National News Emmys for California Burning: Outstanding Breaking News Coverage (’07)

National Daytime Emmy Nomination for Good Morning America, Outstanding Morning Program ('15)

National Daytime Emmy Nomination for Good Morning America, Outstanding Morning Program ('13)

National Daytime Emmy Nomination for Good Morning America, Outstanding Morning Program ('12)