November 15th (AMSP/CGTN) – – For more than 185 years, El Comercio, Peru’s oldest newspaper, has delivered the most important news of the day to its readers. It’s been around documenting history from its founding in the 1800s through this week’s APEC Meetings.
El Comercio has tracked the stories important to Peruvians since the newspaper’s founding in 1839. Housed for much of that time in this building in central Lima, its ornate walls, tile floors and stained-glass ceiling set the tone for the ambitious work conducted by the paper’s journalists.
Mario Cortijo, News Projects Editor, says the paper’s mission remains the same now as it was when it was founded. “It is a reference newspaper. It is a newspaper committed to the truth. In these times of fake news, of false news, of worthless information on social media, we feel that audiences are looking for information that they find credible. Our daily struggle is to provide true and real information, and we hope that the audience will always trust that brand, which has been around for 185 years, ” Mario Cortijo told CGTN’s Jim Spellman.
In that time, much has happened in Peru and in the world. This library contains paper copies of each edition dating back to the very first… when the paper focused largely on trade… through the many major events in global history since.
Mario Cortijo opened the book at the table, and told CGTN’s Jim Spellman that this volume contains papers from 2016, the last time leaders gathered in Lima for the APEC Meetings.
While reading headline in Spanish, he disclosed to CGTN’s reporter that at that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose El Comercio to publish a letter promoting closer ties between China and Peru. ” He made a good choice because we were in 2016 and we continue to be the most influential medium in the country, not only because of our longevity but also because of the audience we have, especially on social media. And I think the very name of the newspaper also contributes to this, as it has always advocated for free trade. And today, China and Xi Jinping are in some way Peru’s main trading partners, ” Mario underscored.
Mario Cortijo says he and his staff are working overtime covering APEC, just the latest important story of his career. ” I have worked here for 40 years, it is part of my life and part of the life of the people of Lima and Peruvians, ” he disclosed.
Back in the day, reporters stood on this balcony each day to read their stories to the people below. Now, of course, El Comercio distributes the news on the internet and through social media, but each day’s paper copy, including those containing this week’s coverage of the APEC Meetings, still goes into the library.
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CGTN