Journalism in Colombia was born in the 18th century—when the territory was still part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada—with publications such as the Gazeta de Santa Fe (1785), promoted by Manuel del Socorro Rodríguez, from Cuba, and considered the father of national journalism. Since then, the press has played a central role in the formation of public opinion and in the country's political processes, especially during the Independence, when newspapers such as La Bagatela by Antonio Nariño became instruments for disseminating republican ideas.
Throughout the 19th century, Colombian journalism consolidated itself as a partisan tribune for liberals and conservatives, reflecting political polarization while simultaneously promoting literacy and public debate. The arrival of the 20th century brought with it radio, cinema and television, which transformed the informative practice and brought communication closer to popular sectors, marking the beginning of a modern media culture.
During the second half of the 20th century, Colombian journalism experienced processes of professionalization and modernization, influenced by the National Front, the expansion of television and the subsequent liberalization of the media sector. Despite censorship, violence and the murders of numerous journalists, the press maintained its role as an instrument of memory and resistance. In the 21st century, digitalization has reconfigured traditional media and has opened new spaces for citizen participation, although it has also brought challenges such as misinformation and economic concentration. The history of journalism in Colombia is, in sum, a reflection of the country's political, cultural and technological evolution, from its colonial origins to the current digital era.
History
Birth in the viceregal period
Journalism in Colombia was born in the final context of the viceregal period, when Enlightenment ideas began to permeate Spanish overseas territories. The first journalistic manifestations appeared in 1785 with the Aviso del Terremoto sucedido en la ciudad de Santafé el día 12 de julio de 1785, a publication that narrated in chronicle format the events that occurred during an earthquake that shook the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. This document detailed the identity of some of the dead and the damage caused in the city, thus establishing a fundamental precedent for the development of national journalism.
That same year appeared the Gazeta de la ciudad de Santafé de Bogotá, both publications considered the beginning and preamble of Colombian journalism. These first editorial experiences were modest and lacked information about their editors or exact publication dates, but they represented the first organized attempt to inform the population about relevant events. The late arrival of the printing press to the colonies was due in large part to the censorship exercised by the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, which deeply distrusted the power of the written word.
The printing press had operated in the Viceroyalty for more than half a century before the birth of the first proper newspaper, but its production was limited to religious materials: novenas, sermons, prayers, ecclesiastical news and pious compositions. The Spanish government and ecclesiastical authorities were aware of the subversive potential of the printed word, so they established strict controls over what could be published. This censorship, however, did not manage to prevent ideas of freedom and independence from circulating among enlightened creoles.
The true watershed of Colombian journalism came on February 9, 1791 with the founding of the Papel Periódico de la Ciudad de Santafé de Bogotá, directed by Manuel del Socorro Rodríguez. This publication already met the criteria to be considered a modern news medium: it had a director-journalist, was published weekly and maintained remarkable continuity for the time. The newspaper had a total of 265 issues and circulated until January 6, 1797, totaling six years of uninterrupted existence.
The first 259 issues were edited at the Royal Printing Press of Don Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros; each issue consisted of eight pages and circulated on Fridays. The newspaper operated under a subscription scheme, with approximately 146 subscribers who probably had informational advantage in the gatherings of the time. Among its regular readers and collaborators were distinguished creoles such as José Celestino Mutis, director of the Botanical Expedition; his disciple Pedro Fermín de Vargas; Francisco Antonio Zea, future vice president of Gran Colombia; and Antonio Nariño, independence politician and military man who also supported with his printing press the publication of several issues until his exile.
Manuel del Socorro Rodríguez: The father of Colombian journalism Manuel del Socorro Rodríguez was as interesting a figure as he was multifaceted, considered the father of Colombian journalism. Born in Cuba, throughout his life he practiced various trades: carpenter, cabinetmaker, draftsman and painter, in addition to developing a deep taste for calligraphy and the humanities. His training was completely self-taught, the product of a fierce discipline that led him to dedicate five hours a day of his rest to reading and writing during his childhood and adolescence.
Thanks to his love for the humanities and his ability for stimulating conversation, Rodríguez developed a close relationship with the newly appointed viceroy José de Ezpeleta, who invited him to Bogotá to occupy the position of official librarian of the capital, a position he held until his death. This position allowed him to be in permanent contact with the knowledge and ideas circulating at the time, thus enriching his journalistic work and his vision about the role of the press in colonial society.
The Papel Periódico de la Ciudad de Santafé de Bogotá addressed diverse themes that included the daily and social life of the colonies, the recovery of certain colonial literary values, military and civil activity, among other topics of public interest. Despite the high censorship that existed on the part of Spain, which required that all writing be approved by the authorities delegated by the king before being sent to print, Rodríguez managed to make subtle criticisms against colonialism and the cultural exile of indigenous peoples through his publications.
Rodríguez also offered a broader and more complex vision of colonial reality, talking about how internal wars between indigenous communities had weakened the strength of these peoples, facilitating the European invasion. This multidimensional perspective distinguished him as a thinker ahead of his time, capable of critically analyzing both Spanish colonialism and the internal dynamics of pre-Columbian societies. His balanced approach laid the foundations for a more analytical and reflective journalism.
The continuity of the Papel Periódico never depended on changes in direction, and when this newspaper closed in 1797, Rodríguez founded another weekly called El Redactor Americano in 1806, to which in 1807 he added a supplement called El Alternativo al Redactor Americano. This persistence demonstrates his unwavering commitment to journalism and the circulation of ideas, consolidating his legacy as a fundamental pioneer in the history of communication in Colombia. His work established standards of quality and continuity that would influence subsequent generations of Colombian journalists.
Journalism during Independence and the formation of the Republic During the period of Independence, Colombian journalism acquired a militant character and was put at the service of the patriot armies. The press was used to talk about the needs of the troops, celebrate their triumphs, recount the defeats of the enemy and keep the population informed about the continuous independence mobilization. Printed materials became fundamental propaganda tools for the liberating cause, transforming the role of the journalist into a front-line political actor.
The Spanish attempt to prevent both the arrival and publication of secular texts proved futile. Many people who would later become heroes of Independence were exiled to Europe, from where they returned with much more consolidated ideas and a broader vision of the world. Literary gatherings and salons multiplied throughout the colonies, spaces where the influence of European Enlightenment ideas was evident and where many of the publications that would accompany the independence process were conceived.
From 1810 onwards, innumerable daily and biweekly or weekly newspapers were founded. Among them stood out La Bagatela, founded by Antonio Nariño, from which it was possible for him to overthrow the first Government Junta and seize power. This newspaper, considered by some authors as the first political newspaper in the country, demonstrated the immense power that the press could exercise over political events. Nariño fought through his writings so that the weak and inexperienced provinces would abandon the idea of becoming independent republics.
On the other hand, the federalist newspaper Argos Americano of Cartagena was in charge of confronting Nariño's attacks against the Junta, evidencing the deep political divisions that would characterize the country throughout the 19th century. The conception of journalism at the time established that only those at the head of power could speak freely, which led Nariño and other journalists to be forced to live in exile for their journalistic work. This persecution demonstrated both the power and the risks inherent in the exercise of political journalism.
When the independence struggles ended, important figures sought in the press a means of literary and intellectual expression to make known their works and organize the new State. Each figure published in the newspaper closest to his political line, which surprisingly allowed press freedom to be respected, perhaps more by accident than by authentic will for concord. This proliferation of publications laid the foundations for a plural, although deeply partisan, press system.
Journalism in Colombia during the 19th century During the 19th century, Colombian journalism was characterized by its eminently political nature, which prevented the development of a journalistic industry comparable to that of other countries in America, the United States or Europe. While in those regions large companies generated newspapers of wide circulation and abundant pagination, in Colombia newspapers were invariably four sheets that appeared to defend political ideas and disappeared at the whim of civil wars or occasional dictatorships. This instability was reflected in the fact that the longest-running Colombian newspaper in the 19th century did not manage to maintain itself for thirteen continuous years, contrasting dramatically with the situation of other Latin American countries where at the end of the century, Argentina exhibited two newspapers of old circulation and universal renown, Chile had El Mercurio, Peru had El Comercio and Uruguay had El Día.