The life of Puerto Ricans has not been easy. For more than 500 years, we have lived through famine, economic depressions, natural disasters, and political frustrations. All of this has shaped a brave people who do not give up.
Fifty years ago, El Nuevo Día was born with the hope of dawn.
Our father, Antonio Luis Ferré, founded this newspaper on May 18, 1970. He made the dream of his youth come true, with a bold proposal from the thematic and visual point of view. Our father´s words, in the op-ed of the first issue of El Nuevo Día, are full of life: "We do not intend to make just another newspaper, just another business, but to be the expression of the aspiration and the feeling of the people: we want to be a manifestation of the new Puerto Rico and the new Puerto Rican... El Nuevo Día will be a strong defender of progress and social modernization. We are fully aware of the signs ruling this historical. We look to the future and we commit ourselves to the future ..."
Seeking to capture that elusive future, our father had the vision to hire a handful of bold and visionary men and women.
The trio, formed by director Carlos Castañeda, a Cuban radio journalist with a passion for the image, graphic designer José Luis Díaz de Villegas, a Caribbean Leonardo Da Vinci, and Humacao native photographer Luis Ramos, quickly imprinted the urgency of the image as a vital sign of a newspaper that was born with the popularization of local television.
Don Carlos, who came with his experience at Life magazine, bet on competing with television through a visual and bold newspaper. Our Marisol Malaret gave us, not only the first world recognition to the beauty and talent of the Puerto Rican women but one of our first emblematic covers. Castañeda was sure that “the girl”, as he lovingly called Marisol, could win, and sent Luis Ramos to Miami to cover the contest. And Marisol was our first big contact with the people. The headline "The most beautiful!" filled Puerto Rico with hope and marked the beginning of a Great Newspaper at the service of the people.
Today, our team -filled with energy in our mission- is devoted, as it was five decades ago, to the task of forging a better Puerto Rico. We do so as part of a society of open dialogue with social media, where information certainty can become a challenge.
Our reporters and editors are aware that they belong to the institution of journalism. They dispel with truthful information those opportunistic ghosts of "fake news" that, often paired with some political leaders belligerent style, seek to turn the media and journalistic watchdogs into targets of vicious attacks.
We firmly assume our responsibility to inconvenience the authorities to prevent obstacles in the access to information from undermining the pillars of democracy.
El Nuevo Día has defended press freedom from violent attacks, from refusals to legitimate access to official information, and from legislation that affects the transparency of government actions.
That innovative and daring seed has guided our way to becoming the bridge to our extended homeland. Nearly five million Puerto Ricans, from different generations of immigrants, keep a close eye on what is happening in their homeland through our digital platforms.
We have engraved, first in ink and photographs, today also in audiovisual content, a story of sadness, joy, and learning. We have stood next to our people with the tragedies of the Dupont Plaza Hotel, the avalanche in Mameyes, and the explosion in Río Piedras; hurricanes Hugo, Georges, Irma and María; the murders in Cerro Maravilla; and the glory and loss of Roberto Clemente. We documented the historic visit of Pope John Paul II; the publication of "La guaracha del Macho Camacho" by our Luis Rafael Sánchez, whose columns honor our pages; and the Olympic gold medal that Mónica Puig brought to Puerto Rico. We have followed our great boxers and tennis players, and our baseball, basketball, and volleyball athletes who have sweated pride for Puerto Rico. We have walked alongside the Puerto Rican talents that the world admires, such as Raúl Juliá, Ricky Martin, Benicio del Toro, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. We covered Sonia Sotomayor's promotion to the U.S. Supreme Court and a sea of our talents in several accomplishments.
We have fought great battles in defense of the best interests of the people of Puerto Rico. There have been many challenges, we have always overcome with the strength and confidence of our word. It was not an option to remain silent after the events of the summer of 2019. We asked, on our cover, for the governor's resignation to close one of the most shameful pages of recent history.
Today, COVID-19 stands as a major challenge for governments, families, and the private sector. We are not exempt from the challenges, but with technology and the tenacity of our team we keep informing millions of people.
In the wake of the pandemic, the value of companionship, community life, and being close to our people has been strengthened. Individualism has been defeated. The virus forces everyone to make an exercise in solidarity and love of their neighbor.
These 50 years coincide with one of the most critical moments in the communications industry. The imminent economic recession, a product of the pandemic, is mercilessly hitting media outlets such as ours.
It is another challenge.
Inspired by the same spirit of our grandfather Luis A. Ferré, who rose up a thousand times no matter the size of the adversity, we will face this new challenge with courage.
El Nuevo Día, with the strength of its 50 years and holding the flag of the best journalism, will continue hand in hand with our people contributing to solutions.
We believe in Puerto Rico.
We dream of a better Puerto Rico welcoming a new dawn.
Today we celebrate with you our existence. We thank our vibrant audiences that have been with us on this journey that, after five decades, is just beginning.
Because nothing is more unpredictable than news.
Irma, Maria, earthquakes and now COVID-19. Human fragility is a constant reminder in our pages, but we also capture the spirit of a joyful, generous, dedicated, fighting, and resilient people. There is no María that can beat us down, nor is there any virus that can bring us down.
Betting on a better Puerto Rico.
We will be here with you for another 50 years!
