El Comercio´s front page

The local newspaper in Quito, Ecuador is El Comercio. On it´s front page I found these news:

1. “A gray cloud covered the south of the city” . When Tungurahua volcano – located on Chimborazo province - erupts, the ashes spread all over the city. This has been an issue for several years since the volcano became active.  This article belongs in the front page because it is of main interest to Ecuadorians. People need to get advice on what to do to protect themselves from danger. Also, evacuated families  want to know where to ask for aid if they need it. Because this is a security issue, every citizen is interested on the evolution of the event because they want to know if they are safe. Using Jeremy C. Fox´s first lecture, this news competes to the audience because of the following values:

-          Proximity

-          Impact / Community

-          Helpfulness

-          Human Interest

There is no opinion in this story, but it empazises the drama of the affected families with images and the way they chose to tell it. It is a third person narration and the main character is one of the victims.

2. “ Mayoral candidates for Quito city use the polls to modify their strategies”. The elections will be on february 23 and there are four polls that reflect  voters’ preferences. Citizens are anxious to know what are the results that the different surveys have generated. This article is important for the audience to find necessary information about the elections. The story news competes to the audience because of the following values:

-          Proximity

-          Impact / Community

-          Helpfulness

-          Conflict

There´s a conclusions section where the newspaper tells you how to interpret the polls. And there´s hidden opinion in it. The paper concludes that, according to the four surveys,  Augusto Barrera and Mauricio Rodas lead the voter´s preferences. Actually, three out of four surveys make clear Augusto Barrera´s advantage over Mauricio Rodas and the rest of candidates. Clarification: Barrera is the pro-government mayoral candidate, while Rodas is the opposition’s candidate.  El Comercio has held firm on battle against the Government for many years and that´s why the paper makes that conclusion. Considering the fact that publishing surveys’ results have a direct impact on voters’ behavior, opinion in this case is deliberate.

3. “ ‘Bonil’  is outraged due to Supercom´s fine”. Xavier ‘Bonil’ Bonilla, a cartoonist, had to pay a fine to Supercom (the information control  authority) because one of his illustrations made president Rafael Correa uncomfortable. This news is one of the current issues that are being discussed nationally, but it is part of a group of news that reflects an structural matter: Correa´s little respect for Ecuadorian´s freedom of speech. There´s no opinion in this news, but the fact that this story was chosen and published on the front page, makes clear what the paper´s political stance is. This news competes to the audience because of the following values:

-          Proximity

-          Impact / Community

-          Conflict