Welcome to 2016, a new year full of hope and promise. At La Prensa San Diego, we begin celebrating our 40th year of publication.
A lot has changed in the 40 years since this newspaper was launched to be a voice for and to the Latino community in San Diego and beyond. Just a few months ago, new leadership took over the reins to drive this newspaper into the future with higher circulation, an enhanced online presence, and expanded coverage of civic and business news.
The exciting changes in the works at La Prensa San Diego have already begun to take effect.
Our new redesign of the print version launched in September for a special Mexican Independence Day edition. New Art Director Tracy Powell brought a new level of design to improve readability and visual impact. We’ve added a Spanish front page within the paper to highlight important stories in our own native language. And speaking of paper, we also improved the quality of the newsprint to provide a clean, modern feel to the new La Prensa.
New reporters and contributors have joined our existing stable of writers to provide fresh content with interesting new perspectives. Both young and more experienced reporters have expanded our reach and added their dynamic voices to new stories.
We also welcomed new advertising partners this year to help expand our reach. National brands including Wells Fargo Bank and Telcel have launched new outreach campaigns for Latinos in our community.
The San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also partnered with us this year to highlight new and emerging business leaders that are working to make an impact in this market. Each week, we highlight a member of the Chamber to help celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of these hardworking leaders in our community.
Our new website will launch this month to bring more content and interactivity to our online presence. An enhanced search function will provide access to our increasing archives of stories, commentaries, and resource links.
And a new mobile app will allow readers to join our e-community to receive news updates, customized alerts, and special access to upcoming events.
Overall, the changes we’re making are all aimed at improving and expanding the impact of La Prensa San Diego for our readers.
Throughout the years, this newspaper raised important issues facing our community, even when those issues were not popular to bring up. Now, more than ever, La Prensa will continue to bring a voice to important issues we face.
Latinos must understand and react to issues that affect us. Some of these issues may seem like deja-vu in that they have been around for years, and others are emerging as Latinos reach for new levels of political and economic empowerment. Either way, we will not shy away from speaking up and calling out those who fail to support our community.
This year will be an important election year on a local, state, and national level. The presidential campaigns will set the tone on issues including immigration, terrorism, and the economy. How these issues are addressed will affect Latinos and other minority communities more than any other voters.
And for Latinos in particular, it will be an historic year in that two Latinos are running for president but they both oppose immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Just when viable Latino candidates have made the main stage in presidential debates, they oppose one of the issues that could impact Latinos the most. It’s not clear if those positions will soften as the campaigns run toward the general election in November.
But what is for certain is that Latinos should remain alert, informed, and engaged in the political debate so that we don’t end up with another Proposition 187-style attack where our community becomes an easy political scapegoat. We promise to do our part in facilitating the flow of information among the community.
On a social level, we will continue to highlight achievements and important contributions Latinos make in San Diego and beyond. We will celebrate the individual and collective successes we see around us to remind all communities that we live in a rich melting pot that is an important part of the fabric of our modern society.
Thank you for your loyal readership. We look forward to a great new year together.
In the immortal words of Jose Feliciano, Prospero Año y Felicidad.