DINA DEMETRIUS, Award-Winning Journalist, Anchor, Host, News Correspondent, Investigative Reporter, Storyteller, Creator – Los Angeles, CA
Dina is an award-winning correspondent and producer who crafts stories that illuminate the humanity at the heart of any policy issue. In addition to reporting for the nationally syndicated public affairs show Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien, she is also a correspondent at CBS News. She began her career at ABC News where she worked for many years at Nightline and Good Morning America. Dina has reported and produced in-depth investigative, social justice and underreported stories for KCET/PBS, Al Jazeera America, and A&E Network. Dina anchored a weekly public affairs show and documentary specials at Spectrum News 1. Her international reporting includes leading a team to Nicaragua filming the stories of an orphanage, aid workers and the people they assist in the Nicaragua’s toxic and dangerous garbage dumps, and covering the 2015 Greek financial crisis from Athens. Dina is the recipient of five L.A. area Emmy Awards, six L.A. Press Club Awards including for her groundbreaking California fracking investigation, four RTNA Golden Mike Awards and three Telly Awards. She lives in Los Angeles and is a native of the Detroit area.
Contributor: Frederica Bolgouras
1) As an Award-Winning Journalist, describe one of your most proud stories to share with our Hellenic Professional Women today.
Out of so many stories I have been proud and grateful to report and/or produce, one of my favorites was on the lack of fracking regulations in California in 2012 for PBS/KCET. I read about small fracking earthquakes happening in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and thought about what can happen in California where so many fault lines dominate the geography. In my investigation, I found not only did nearby fracking operations adversely affect residents near the largest urban oil field in the country (in L.A. County), but that the state oil and gas regulator had no documentation where fracking was taking place although they knew it was. After confronting the chief regulator in our on-camera interview about how the lack of regulation was affecting California residents, changes took place. This story was incredibly difficult to research and report, but it quickly and directly led to substantive changes in creating fracking regulations in the state for the first time.
2) Share your vision with us on your quote where you describe, “bridging the difference between the seen and the unseen…”
I think it’s basic reporting to provide the “runs, hits, errors” of any news story. But good journalism (which I strive to do) means getting underneath the issues and what is viewable to understanding the causes, the complications, and the often unrecognized consequences of an issue. It means connecting the dots for an audience about how an issue or policy affects their lives, as I believe eventually every issue does.
3) Describe your trajectory and where you discovered that you made the most impact in the industry to develop and to become an Award-Winning Journalist/Host/News Correspondent/Storyteller and Creator.
I was blessed to have started my professional career with the best television journalists at the time—at ABC News’ Nightline with Ted Koppel. Through mentorship, observation, and hard work, I learned how impactful journalism is made. It is an apprentice profession and must be learned while doing it with excellent people of integrity. I have carried their examples with me in every news organization where I have contributed work. I learned the importance and skill of producing the most visual stories, courage to ask the hard questions of my subjects, and always including my own humanity in revealing to an audience why a story I’m telling is important to them.
4) What was your greatest lesson learned in the past 5 years and where do you envision yourself in the next 5 years?
I think the greatest (and frankly, hardest) lesson I continue to learn is how easily the news media can be sidetracked and manipulated by corporate interests. Those of us who have dedicated our lives to this profession see it as a calling that enlightens people and upholds a pillar of democracy, the so-called Fourth Estate. The U.S.’s Founding Fathers saw a free press as integral to ensuring the health of democratic institutions. In too many places around the world, that is now at risk. While there is a particular struggle right now in maintaining journalistic independence and hold accountable the powers-that-be, it becomes vital for true journalists to seek outlets that support this. To that end, my hope and mission will be to align myself with news outlets that value truthful and courageous reporting so that I can continue my work. I hope that means I will eventually moderate my own public affairs show, as well as possibly create my own Substack site for more personal reporting of underreported stories. Mainly, I want to continue working with people of integrity.
5) Who influenced you the most in your life within your Greek heritage.
My parents, of course, were the most influential to me in incorporating the gifts of our Greek heritage in my life. That includes passionate storytelling, courage in the face of dangers or difficult odds, and a profound faith in God that in all situations, we are loved. I think the Greek “philotimo” toward all people has informed my work as a journalist and my philanthropy.
6) What advice would you give to Hellenic Professional Women interested in pursuing a career similar to yours in the future.
Well, this is a hard profession! And it’s getting harder in some ways, in terms of steady and sustainable work. So anyone interested in any type of journalism should consider deeply why they want to pursue it. If it feels vital and deeply important because of what it contributes to world and/or they feel they would have a gift for it, then don’t let anything stop you. It will take perseverance (and at times bravery), but it’s so important to the world. The best advice is to seek out the people and organizations you admire for their work, reach out to them for opportunities, and know you have everything you need already to get started as a storyteller and journalist—your heart and mind.
7) Describe one of your most proud contributions as a member of the Philoptochos Society in Los Angeles, CA.
This is hard for me to determine—it feels like my fellow members could better weigh in on this. But I will say there are two efforts I led that appear to be successful contributions. During the pandemic in 2020, we were unable to hold any of our usual in-person fundraising galas that are the financial lifeblood of our Saint Sophia Cathedral Philoptochos chapter. I created and led an online fundraising event featuring celebrity Chef Maria Loi leading cooking classes, as well as an online auction that eventually raised nearly enough money as one of our in-person events. The other effort, while I was chapter President from 2021-2023 was to personally recruit a number of excellent, heartfelt women in our community to run for (and win) Board seats. This was incredibly important to build our bench of leadership, and each of these women has contributed her many gifts and skills to our chapter.
8) Feel free to add anything else you would like to share with Hellenic Professional Women in today’s world.
As Hellenic women, we bring such a treasure trove of gifts and perspective to any profession in which we work. Our culture is ingrained in us in a way embodies our collective experience as Greeks—our families’ struggles and triumphs are never far from our minds. And that leads us to infuse our work with a wisdom and humanity that is vital to any sector of life and is an example to others. To embrace that, in my mind, is to be successful.
