A Salute to Hispanic Americans - The Newspaper and Media

Connection - National Lesson Plans

Newsboys selling papers on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1908.

by Lewis W. Hine via Library of Congress
1722- La gaceta de Mexico (The Mexico Gazette) became the first newspaper in the Americas.
Shortly thereafter, others appeared in Guatemala, Lima, Buenos Aires, and elsewhere. The history of
journalism in North America began here.
1791- Jacob Newton Cardozo (1786-1875), son of a Sephardic Jewish immigrant and American
Revolutionary War hero, was the first Hispanic to become an editor of a newspaper, Charleston's
Southern Patriot. In 1823, Cardozo was able to buy the newspaper and became its publisher.
Besides editing The Southern Patriot until 1845, he later edited newspapers in Mobile, Alabama and
Atlanta, Georgia.
1806- The first newspaper guatemala news live in Puerto Rico was La gaceta de Puerto Rico (The
Puerto Rican Gazette), which was a government organ.
1808- The first Spanish language newspaper was founded in the United States: New Orleans's El
Misisipi. Shortly thereafter other newspapers were founded: Nacogdoches, Texas's La Gaceta de
Texas (The Texas Gazette) in 1813 and New York's El Mensajero Semanal (The Weekly Messenger)
in 1828. Hundreds of Spanish language newspapers were subsequently founded in Hispanic
communities throughout the Southwest, Louisiana, Florida, and the Northeast in the years to come.
1823- The first Spanish-English bilingual newspaper, El Correo de Texas/The Texas Courier, was
published in San Antonio by the Texas Government Printing House.
1836- Crepusculo de la Libertad (The Dawn of Liberty) became the first newspaper published in New
Mexico. Published by Antonio Barrera in Santa Fe, it was printed by Jesus Baca. After the newspaper
folded that same year, the historically important priest, Father Antonio Jose Martinez, bought the
press to print school manuals and pamphlets for his parish.
1902- The first Hispanic journalist to pay with his life for exposing corruption through investigative
reporting was Narciso Gener Gonzales, the son of a Cuban immigrant. Gonzales founded The State
newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1881; and in his editorials, he crusaded for women's
right to vote and against child labor and the lynching of blacks. He also attacked corrupt politicians,
one of the worst of which was the governor of South Carolina Jim Tillman. In 1902, Tillman lost the
gubernatorial election and blamed Gonzales for his defeat. In retaliation, Tillman confronted
Gonzales on a busy street and shot him dead. Tillman was exonerated at his trial by jury, which
found the shooting to be "justifiable" because of the injury to Tillman's reputation.
1904- Teacher, poet Sara Estela Ramirez became the first Hispanic woman to publish and edit a
newspaper, Aurora, in Laredo, Texas.
1958 - Harry Caicedo became the first Hispanic chief of the news bureau for a major U.S. daily

newspaper on assuming that role for The Miami Herald. Born in New York City on April 1, 1928, the
son of Colombian parents, Caicedo received his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University
of Missouri in 1954.
1959- Miami's Patria became the first newspaper founded by Cuban refugees from the Cuban
Revolution.
1965- Journalist Ruben Salazar was promoted to foreign correspondent for The Los Angeles Times,
thus becoming the first Mexican American to hold such a position at a major newspaper. He covered
the U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic that year and was one of two Times correspondents in
Vietnam during the period of increased U.S. involvement in that war. Later, he was named Times
bureau chief in Mexico City, covering Mexico, Cuba, and Central America.
1976- The Miami Herald became the first major daily to publish a Spanish language insert in its
issues, entitled El Herald. By 1979, El Herald was delivered to more than seventy-six thousand
households.
1982- The National Association of Hispanic Publications was founded to represent some one hundred
Hispanic newspapers and magazines being published in the United States. The organization
promotes Hispanic print media as a valuable means of communication and encourages recruitment
and training of Hispanics as print journalists.
1984 - Journalist Harry Caicedo became the founding editor of the nation's first Hispanic masscirculation magazine, Vista, which was distributed as a Sunday supplement in major daily
newspapers.
1987- Newspaper publishing company Knight-Ridder became the first U.S. media corporation to
launch a Spanish language daily newspaper, El Nuevo Herald, which grew out of the Spanish
language insert published by The Miami Herald.
1989- Monica guatemala live video news today Lozano became the first Hispanic woman to be
named publisher of a Spanish language daily newspaper in the United States, when she assumed the
position of associate publisher of La Opinion, which was founded in Los Angeles by her grandfather
in 1926. La Opinion is one of three major Spanish language dailies publishing in the United States
today. The other two are New York's El Diario-La Prensa and Miami's El Nuevo Herald. In 1991,
Lozano was named publisher of the widely read and respected weekly Spanish language newspaper,
El Eco del Valle.
1990- Roberto Suarez became the first Hispanic to head a major city daily newspaper, as president
of The Miami Herald. He also became publisher of the Spanish language daily that is the Herald's
subsidiary, El Nuevo Herald. Born in Havana, Cuba, Suarez received his primary and secondary
education there and went on to study economics and finance at Villanova University, where he
graduated with a B.S. in 1949. He joined the Herald staff as a mailer and worked his way up.
1992- Monica Lozano, associate publisher of Los Angeles's La Opinion newspaper, was the first
Hispanic woman to receive the National Organization of Women (NOW) Legal Defense and
Education Fund award guatemala futbol news for her contributions as woman in media.
1996- Miguel Laosa became the first Hispanic to serve as publisher of a major city English language
daily newspaper, the American Statesman, in Austin, Texas. He is the former president of Cox
Arizona Publications.

Student Activity: Complete the timeline from 1996 to present-day! (Most research can be done on
the internet.) Finish the list with an influential Hispanic American (or Spanish language
newspaper/media source) in your community! Arrange an interview with this individual or invite
him/her to your classroom to tell their personal success story.
These lessons and others (K-12, all subjects) are available in workbook style or other formats - for
teachers, parents, students, or homeschoolers. Contact CJ Hatcher at
CJHatcherExaminer@gmail.com.