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Andrés Fuentes is not just any journalist. In his nearly four years at WVUE Fox 8, this New Orleans native has transcended the role of reporter to become a trusted voice for the community in the region, including the Spanish-speaking community. His return home, after a brief stint in Mississippi, was quick—”fortunately, my talent was recognized”—and allowed him to realize at a very young age what many only dream of: working alongside the journalists he watched as a child. “Now I call them colleagues,” he says of the anchors and reporters he admired, a situation he describes as “a bit crazy.”
The Responsibility of Telling Our Stories
Fuentes deeply understands the need for representation. His work has brought to the forefront stories that are often erased from New Orleans’ main narrative. He reminds us of a shocking fact: how a book from the city’s 300th anniversary mentions almost all the cultures that shaped it—French, Spanish, Italian, African—but “never mentioned Latinos.”
For him, it is an active mission to correct this omission and continue trying to put the stories of the Latino community on television. The importance of providing that representation at a massive level is constantly reminded to him in daily conversations. “I can’t go to Rouses [local supermarket] without a grandfather or grandmother stopping me and saying, ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing, because before that… we didn’t have anyone.'” These types of comments are what drive him to continue looking for information gaps and ensure he continues to give his voice to the community.
Ethics and Empathy: Coverage in Times of Crisis
As a journalist, Fuentes has covered some of the city’s most difficult moments: from Hurricane Francine and the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, to the recent search for Bryan Vasquez, and tragedies like the unfortunate New Year’s terrorist attack on Bourbon Street. It is in these moments of pain that his personal integrity and ethical approach shine. “We get to see the good in humanity in some stories, but we also see the tragedies of some people.”
The search for Vasquez deeply impacted him. “Being out there every day in 90-degree weather with mosquitoes, people avoiding alligators in the lagoon trying to find the boy, and seeing people from all over who came to help from Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, Florida, Los Topos de México, the United Cajun Navy… seeing them there all day and all night every day, was impactful.”
He reflects on the difficulty of covering the pain of others: “Unfortunately, you’re going to be there on people’s worst days.” After the attack on Bourbon Street, he remembers families returning to leave flowers, harassed by national media. His choice was simple, yet powerful: “I was one of the few who said, ‘I’m not going to talk to them.'” His approach is respect: “There are ways to tell people’s stories without necessarily being in the business… of taking more than is given.”
The Ethical Lens in Immigration News
For Fuentes, covering immigration issues is necessary, and demands an even higher level of ethical rigor. He actively combats misinformation, which he knows particularly affects the Latino community through platforms like WhatsApp and TikTok.
Fuentes emphasizes that journalism has the task of explaining from the basics, such as “the fact that it’s not easy to migrate here,” to breaking down laws—which are indeed policies, but remembering that “at the end of the day, it’s human lives that are impacted.”
His work in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and his participation in panels on immigration ethics explain the need to report without focusing on politics, but rather on the human impact of administrative decisions.
“We get to see the good in humanity in some stories, but we also see the tragedies of some people.”
Fuentes continues to establish himself as an essential journalist for New Orleans, and continues to forge his life in the city where he grew up. Fuentes recently got engaged to his girlfriend, and is in the process of planning their wedding. Regarding his future, he says the idea is to stay permanently. “We want to stay here, but things always happen that make you want to leave.”
For now, he is excited to find the venue for his wedding and enjoy the process with his fiancée, and continues his commitment to informing the community and highlighting Latino stories as long as he is allowed. For young Latinos who aspire to follow in his footsteps, his advice is: “Consume media… and see how you can do it better,” a philosophy that has led him to earn the respect and trust he deserves from the community.
