About Antonio

Antonio Espinal is a Dominican-US journalist, who has lived in the United States for several decades.

He has received many recognitions, among them, the special Proclamation issued by the City Council of the City of New York on July 11, 1985 declaring “Antonio Espinal’s Day in New York City“. In that signed proclamation by Carol Bellamy, President of the Council, it is indicated that “Antonio Espinal is a journalist who has brought honor and prestige to the City of New York”.

That same year, the famous Mexican actor Mario Moreno (Cantinflas), gave him a gold medal with the “Order Cartagena de Indias” and a Certificate where the work of Espinal is recognized for the benefit of all Hispanic communities from New York.

In November 2014, Espinal received a special recognition from the X Hispano-American Press Congress, held at Columbia University, as the most prominent Latin American journalist in New York and one of the most prominent in all the United States. He also defined him as the dean of Dominican journalists in the United States. He was presented with a medal and a certificate of honor, which was in charge of the President of Hispano-American Press Congress, Amin Cruz, and the President of the Dominican College of Journalists, Mr. Olivo de León, who came from Santo Domingo to participate in that event.

In November 2015, Espinal received recognition in his hometown Mao-Valverde, by the Mao History Committee and the City Council who declared him “Meritorious Son of the Municipality of Mao, for his praiseworthy contributions as a professional of national and international journalism, to the development and projection of a positive image of our community in foreign lands”.

Antonio Espinal was 8 years editor of the daily newspaper Noticias del Mundo, in New York. The journalism journal of Columbia University published a report on Hispanic media, indicating that Espinal had made a extraordinary work as Editor. Later he was News Director of the Public Television Network HITN-TV.

He was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists of the United States – NAHJ (1984-86), as Head of the Hispanic Media Committee and Representative of the New York-New England region (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island). At the NAHJ he advocated and fought for better job opportunities for Hispanic journalists.

He was also honorary President of the Dominican Parade and received recognition of the Puerto Rican Parade (which awarded him the Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances Journalism Award), the Great Cuban Parade (which was declared him Journalist of the Year), the Hispanic Heritage Parade (which in two consecutive years declared Antonio the Most Outstanding Hispanic Journalist in New York); the Great Bolivarian Parade (which declared him the Meritorious Son of the Americas); Latina Women in Action and Conscientious Citizens of Queens (who paid special tribute to him for his work defending women and the Latino community).

Espinal was included in the book Outstanding Young Man of America. He received a Special Recognition presented by the College of Latin American Economists and the New York Dominican Bank, “for his extraordinary contribution and his services to the community.” Received a Certificate presented by the Manhattan Community College, University of the City of New York, for training disadvantaged young people.

A Prize and Recognition Ceremony was offered by the National Anti-Drug Coalition of the United States, “for the contribution made by Antonio Espinal to educate the community against the use of drugs.”

Espinal began journalism while studying at the secondary school Juan de Jesús Reyes, in Mao, where he created the student newspaper “LS”, the acronym of Secondary School. While studying Electromechanical Engineering in the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, from Santiago, spent time reading the books of Journalism in the Library of that institution. He was hired as Correspondent in Mao-Valverde for the newspapers La Información and El Sol (Santiago) and by the radio network news Noti-Tiempo, directed by Radhamés Gómez Pepín (former Director of El Nacional) and Silvio Herasme Peña, in Santo Domingo, and by La Situación Mundial, directed by Ramón de Luna, in Santiago.

El Nacional hired him as his Correspondent on the Northwest. In February 1973, the then Director of El Nacional, Dr. Freddy Gatón Arce, visited Antonio Espinal, at his residence in Mao, to indicate: “You are leaving today with me to Santo Domingo.” His first job was something very special: to cover in 1973, when Colonel Francisco Caamaño, the most prominent figure of the revolution of April 1965, accompanied by eight men, landed at Playa Caracoles on Board of the “Black Jak” aiming to overthrow the Government of Balaguer.

Following the murder of the journalist Orlando Martínez, Espinal was appointed Editor of the magazine ¡Ahora!, which ran Orlando.

Espinal won the First Shell Award for Journalism, in Santo Domingo, for a series of reports on the socio-economic conditions of Dominican-Haitian border towns.

Between the most outstanding journalistic works of Espinal, appear to have been Traveling Correspondent in Paris (France), East Berlin, West Berlin, Bonn (Germany) and London (England), covering the demonstrations made against the installation of American missiles in European nations.

Other works were the Economic and Social Situation of Latin Americans in the City of New York, a series of investigative reports published by El Diario La Prensa. Latina Prostitution in New York City, series published by 23 newspapers and magazines, including El Diario La Prensa. Prostitution in Santo Domingo, series of 50 full-page reports published by the newspaper El Nacional. Because of those reports, Espinal was the victim of a criminal attack, perpetrated by covert police officers, which almost cost him his life.

In August 2015, the then Secretary General of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), Jesús (Chu) Vásquez, swore in journalist Antonio Espinal as Director of Communications of that organization overseas, during an event held in Pennsylvania.

“For me it is an honor and a privilege to swear in as our Director of Communications Overseas a journalist like you, who is renowned not only in our country, the Dominican Republic, but in all parts of the world,” declared Chu Vásquez before proceeding to swear in Espinal, who was also named Director of Communications of the Overseas Campaign Council of Luis Abinader’s presidential candidacy.

Eligio Jáquez, present at the event, indicated that communication is a very important area in a political campaign, “and we have found in (Antonio Espinal), a person who, according to the information we have, brings together countless attributes and qualifications.” distinctions in the Dominican Republic and the United States, which from a distance can help us create and disseminate information that can contribute to our objective.

Espinal currently resides in Pennsylvania, United States, with his wife Aida and his sons Antonio Espinal Jr. and Aaron Espinal.

Although he occasionally writes on social media, he expresses that he has temporarily put his active journalism on vacation. He has a company that offers website development services for small businesses and churches, including Internet Television and Radio and Cell Phones (itswebsites.com).

His Facebook page is https://facebook.com/espinalantonio

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