John Quiñones, former CBS 2 reporter, honored with Distinguished Journalist Award at DePaul
CHICAGO (CBS) -- News correspondent John Quiñones, who was an award-winning reporter for CBS 2 in the late 70s and early 80s, was honored by DePaul University on Thursday.
At a DePaul luncheon, Quiñones received the Distinguished Journalist Award from the DePaul University Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence.
Quiñones began his journalism career as a radio news editor in Houston, before coming to Chicago and joining WBBM-TV, CBS 2 in 1978.
"I really do feel incredibly humbled to receive this award here in Chicago—the city that gave me my first shot at television news reporting," Quiñones said. I was running around these streets with Mayor Jane Byrne back then—Bill Kurtis, Walter Jacobson."
One of Quiñones' most celebrated stories was the series of CBS 2 reports "Villains? Or Victims?"—in which he went undercover to learn the story of undocumented immigrants.
At the time, some were accusing undocumented immigrants from Mexico of taking Chicagoans' jobs. But undocumented immigrants were, in fact, being lured by U.S. businesses for cheap labor.
Quiñones went to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and traveled undercover across the Rio Grande and the border at night.
"I go undercover and find a coyote—smuggler—who put me on an inner tube and floated across the Rio Grande," he said.
He went on to report undercover in hideaway basements where the undocumented were residing around Chicago.
"Villains? Or Victims?" earned an Emmy Award in 1981.
Quiñones left CBS 2 for ABC News in 1982, and remains with that network to this day. He has won Emmy Awards for his work on "Primetime Live," "Burning Questions," and "20/20."
Quiñones was one of three journalists honored Thursday. Also honored was Rachel Hinton, who received the Distinguished Alumna Award. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism in 2017, and then worked at the Sun-Times for more than four years – becoming chief political reporter. She now works as an investigative reporter at Block Club Chicago.
Marty Wilke, a former president and general manager of CBS 2, received the Distinguished Mentor Award. The Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence noted that Wilke has offered DePaul students mentorship and funding scholarships.