Hispanic Heritage Month: Vanessa Maria Graber Fights for Press Freedom, Representation
Photo courtesy of Vanessa Maria Graber
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
PHILADELPHIA — For Vanessa Maria Graber, journalism has never been just a profession. It has been a calling, a responsibility, and a vehicle for community power.
Graber, who has long South Jersey roots, spent her early days reading morning announcements at her high school’s TV station. She is currently the senior director of journalism and media education at Free Press, Graber has built a career rooted in service, advocacy, and a fierce commitment to press freedom.
Today, she stands as one of the region’s most influential bilingual Latina journalists and media educators — a leader whose work spans policy, community organizing, and civic journalism. Her journey reflects the very values she champions: representation, accountability, and the belief that journalism is a public good.
She also serves as a reporter and the co-owner of the civic journalism news cooperative, The Philadelphia Hall Monitor, and the co-founder of PhillyCAM’s community radio station, WPPM 106.5 FM, where she served as the Radio Station Manager prior to joining Free Press. Graber is also the co-founder of Philly Boricuas, a local collective organizing to educate and empower the Puerto Rican diaspora.
A Lifelong Love for Media
Graber’s path began in high school, where she first stepped into a TV studio and felt the spark that would shape her future.
“The first time I reported the news from our school’s TV studio, I was hooked,” she said in her interview. In college, she expanded her skills through campus radio and local news reporting, experiences that cemented her decision to pursue broadcast journalism.
Her passion grew alongside the evolution of media technology. “I became enamored with broadcast media because of its ability to deliver news, information, and music to large audiences,” she said. “And now with digital media, we can communicate with a global audience.”
But with that reach comes responsibility — something Graber never takes lightly.
“I understand that it’s a privilege to broadcast on the airwaves, publish content online, and enjoy free speech in the United States,” she said. “Not everywhere has First Amendment rights… I take our rights very seriously because not everyone has a free press.”
Championing Press Freedom
This spring, Graber participated in the National Town Hall on freedom of the press hosted by former CNN commentator and National Association of Black Journalists Vice President Roland Martin. She said it was a moment she described as both meaningful and necessary.
“I feel it’s important for Black and Latiné journalists to have solidarity and be in conversation about these issues,” she said. She hoped her presence amplified the experiences of young people and student journalists, who are often left out of national conversations about press freedom.
Her work at Free Press reflects that same commitment. She leads Future of Journalism education initiatives, works on journalism policy and First Amendment issues, and coordinates Philly Comunicadores, a mutual aid group supporting Spanish-speaking Latiné media workers.
Representation as a Democratic Imperative
Graber’s advocacy is deeply shaped by her identity as a bilingual Latina journalist. She speaks openly about the importance of seeing diverse communities reflected in media — not just as subjects, but as storytellers.
“Representation is important because we need to see ourselves reflected in the media and journalism, and we need the power to shape narratives about our communities,” she said.
Growing up watching Telemundo and Univisión with her mother, she saw firsthand how language and cultural connection shape access to information. “Seeing Latino anchors on the news made me believe I could be a journalist, too,” she said.
Her work today — from co-owning The Philadelphia Hall Monitor to co-founding WPPM 106.5 FM and Philly Boricuas — continues that legacy of building media spaces where communities can tell their own stories.
Journalism Under Attack — and the Courage to Continue
Graber said she is clear-eyed about the challenges facing journalists today, especially journalists of color. She cites threats to press freedom, attacks on reporters, and the struggles of local newsrooms as urgent concerns.
“People are relying on us to report what’s happening,” she said, pointing to issues like ICE enforcement, political corruption, and climate disasters. “That’s why journalists are often silenced, and those people in power are threatening our First Amendment rights.”
She draws strength from historical figures like Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, and Puerto Rican journalists Julio Iglesias Abreu and Luis Muñoz Rivera — all of whom used journalism as a tool for revolutionary change.
“Whenever I feel afraid, I try to channel the courage of our ancestors,” she said. “That’s what fuels my will to continue amplifying calls for accountability and justice.”
A Call to Support Local Journalism
Despite the challenges, Graber remains hopeful — not because the work is easy, but because she believes deeply in its purpose.
“Journalists, especially those in community and independent media, are some of the smartest and most caring people I know,” she said. “People like us truly care about making the world a better place.”
But she warns that the ability to do that work is at risk.
“Our First Amendment rights and press freedom are in a vulnerable place,” she said. “That’s why we have to support our local news outlets, support journalists, and fiercely defend our First Amendment rights.”
Her message is clear: democracy depends on an informed public, and an informed public depends on journalists who are free to do their jobs.
A Leader for This Moment
Graber embodies the best of community-centered journalism — courageous, principled, and rooted in service. Her work reminds us that journalism is not just about reporting facts; it is about telling stories that connect, empower, and inspire.
In a time when journalism faces unprecedented challenges, leaders like Graber are showing what it means to defend truth, uplift communities, and fight for a future where everyone has access to information — and the power to shape their own narrative.
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