Pepa Bueno: "The pages of EL PAÍS have to be the place where the different meet"

The director of EL PAÍS Pepa Bueno talks with the journalist Gabriela Warkentin, this Saturday. Hector Guerrero

Journalism's sights in the years to come must be set on "restore the consensus on reality."

This is one of the main challenges that the director of EL PAÍS, Pepa Bueno, has identified for the profession and that she shared this Saturday at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, where she spoke with the W Radio journalist Gabriela Warkentin .

For Bueno, in the global debate this consensus has been broken and its reconstruction is essential for him to regain public confidence.

The director of the newspaper has said that, without a doubt, the role of journalists is to show the different parts of reality.

"The pages of EL PAÍS have to be the place where the different ones meet," she assured.

Bueno explained to the attendees that EL PAÍS is undergoing a significant digital transformation, but that values ​​such as equality, plurality, respect for minorities and concern for climate change remain the backbone in the writing of the daily.

“We are administering a right that is not ours, which is freedom of expression, and which belongs to the citizens,” he commented.

The director has highlighted the informative and ethical culture of the members of the newsroom to decide on the contents of the newspaper in a convulsive context such as the one faced by several countries in the world.

"When one dedicates himself to journalism, he cannot give his unconditional support to anyone," she added.

EL PAÍS's coverage of the war in Ukraine has caught the attention of readers in America.

Warkentin has asked Bueno about the difficulties the paper has faced in keeping coverage of the conflict in the newspaper's pages when its media exposure seems to be waning.

The director of the newspaper has commented on the importance of offering readers context and geopolitical information that offers them a more complete vision of the war.

One of the tools that the newspaper has taken advantage of, says Bueno, is the presence of correspondents and special envoys.

Since February, some 16 EL PAÍS journalists have reported from different parts of Ukraine and Russia: "Having journalists on the ground takes you away from the propaganda of the parties."

Just as information from the places where the events occur is important, Bueno has insisted that two-way communication with readers is essential for the future of the newspaper.

The director writes

, a newsletter where she questions readers about the topics of the week, but also a space where they can "build a relationship of trust, explain editorial decisions and tell readers about the debates that are taking place." in the newsroom."

Bueno has explained that it is essential that the public feel part of the information community and that this has been one of the reasons why she began to write the letter.

During her career, Bueno has observed the transformation of newsrooms, but has highlighted the participation of women in them.

"The newsrooms are full of women, the offices, some, are full of men," she said.

However, the director also glimpses changes that little by little have given way to women, like her, in the journalistic industry.

“It is important to be in the places where decisions are made, but it is not enough.

You have to move the structures, that is a slower transformation, but it is unstoppable ”, she mentioned.

Bueno is the second director at the head of the newspaper.

EL PAÍS recently reached 250,000 subscribers after two years of implementing the subscription payment model.

Bueno has highlighted that this result shows that readers are interested in "slow-cooked, long-gazing journalism."

The newspaper has focused in recent years on bringing readers information in various digital formats that have allowed it to make an important display of quality journalism.

In addition, the newspaper has expanded its coverage in Spanish-speaking countries, for which it has, in addition to its main headquarters in Madrid, a newsroom in Mexico City, another in Bogotá, and a wide network of correspondents and collaborators throughout Latin America.

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