“AOL LATINO”: THE UNKNOWN MEDIA WHICH TEACHS YOU REAL JOURNALISM

Latin community is one of the powers more used in United States to win the elections. They have a huge representation (in California represents the 32,4% of the total population) and being the most relevant immigrant population. This very well known influence has been used to the candidates to be president of that country, with controversial strategies in their campaigns. But, that’s not everything.

Some Spanish-speaking media groups have been making influence in the information given to American people. Univisión is the most representative case, being the biggest Spanish-speaking television channel in the world. We can find examples as Telemundo, in webpages and even in radio. “AOL Latino” is also a very representative case. This media belongs to AOL (American Online), which gives also Internet services, and it was very important some years ago for the failed merge with Times Warner and for being the biggest merge in the History[1]. “AOL Latino” gives us so many sections divided in small ones. The main sections are “Noticias”, “Entretenimiento”, “Vida y Familia”, “Deportes”, “Iconos” y “Más”.

According to the topic that we are concerning, in News section, inside United States, we can see that they dedicate a specific webpage to content related to the elections 2012. This is very significance, because, for example, in Univisión webpage there is not any section dedicated to this political event, which can be considered as one of the most important in years for being one of the most powerful countries in the world[2].

The news found in the “AOL Latino” gives us a clear idea of the real situation. We can analyse the content of the news, the headlines, but for me the most important part is the idea that they want to transmit. There are fifteen news in the frontpage of the section, which six of them are about Romney. As we know, Romney is the favourite candidate to be the Obama’s opponent. But if we think in the counties where Latin community is bigger (California and Texas) related to the governments there, we can observe as where Latin people were bigger there were a republican government[3]. Instead of that, they only dedicated one news out of fifteen to Barack Obama.

Also, the currency of the news is a very important fact in that media group. They actualize the news with a average of two or three news per day (even with a few hours of difference with them) with information about the other candidates too. Apart of the news, they write reports and articles, describing in all of them the journalist or the agency, which is publishing the information (AP –Associated Press- is the most used).

Pictures and some multimedia videos accompany all the information provided. And inside the content we can observe as it is divided in small paragraphs to make it easy to read it and with some important words in bold. Also, they include quotes and relevant figures to support the text. And at the end of the article, they offer you some related articles with additional information and also the possibility to contact with them writing your opinion about the information given, so it entails the use of one of the most important tool in online media: feedback.

Impartiality, currency, the use of multimedia, clear language and feedback are the characteristics that every media group must use in their news. “AOL Latino” could not be the most known webpage but the performance of journalism’s goals is its weapon to have the chance of being one of the best media information.

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[1] In this webpage, we can find more extra-information about AOL/Times Warner: http://bit.ly/GFpYyL

[2] In this Pennsylvanian webpage, we can see as American people give more importance of voting. There are also extra-information about rights and legal terms: http://bit.ly/oJvBV6

[3] Texas has republican governments from 1980 and California was governed by Arnold Schwarzenegger until January 2011 (republican too). 

Millennium Development Goal achieved early

Today we worry in several moments when we don’t enjoy water at the exactly temperature we want or even when we have to reduce our consumption of water in times of drought. But, we are not aware of the privilege of having clean running water in our homes whenever we want.

Many people do not know that until less than two years, drinking water was not considered a universal right. This law was approved on July 29, 2010, specifically providing that "everyone has the right to drink clean, and sanitary and quality water" or it is something "essential to fully enjoy their right to life." No country voted against but many of them were abstained for the complicated application as international legal right. This debate started fifteen years ago in the UN.

With the upcoming celebration of World Water Day, March 22, we should be aware that many families, even entire towns can not enjoy something that we as well off to our day to day. Still, the progress of society and a growing awareness of outstanding developing countries has enabled the number of people without drinking water has decreased, thereby fulfilling one of the purposes positions in 2000 by the United Nations. This purpose was that at least nine out of ten people had potable water, being 6.1 billion people in total.

The main problem of lack of access is the diseases involved. Thus, for example more than three thousand helpless children die every day from diarrhea-related diseases. Also we have to add that not only is the access to clean water. For example it is important number of means of assuring the quality of that water. This is also attached to such a large percentage of people who really do not have access to medications or medical attention, as 2.5 billion people still suffer from this situation, predominantly in people living in sub-Saharan Africa, which aggravated digestive diseases.