Antonio Caño takes on the role of editor-in-chief at EL PAÍS
The newspaper will be structured around four main areas: digital, print, Americas and weekend David Alandete has been named deputy editor
On Sunday Antonio Caño took over as editor-in-chief of EL PAÍS. His selection for the role was announced by the daily’s Board of Directors on February 26, and went into effect on the same day that the newspaper celebrated its 38th anniversary. Caño has taken over from Javier Moreno, who has been at the helm of EL PAÍS since 2006. Moreno will now be in charge of coordinating news content for the newspaper’s parent group, Grupo Prisa, both in the Americas and in Spain.
Caño, who was born in Martos (Jaén) 57 years ago, has a degree in Journalism from the Complutense University in Madrid. After working at the news agency EFE, he joined EL PAÍS in 1982, where he worked as a correspondent in Mexico and Central America as well as being bureau chief in Washington, a role he had occupied for more than 10 years until Sunday. Caño becomes the fifth editor-in-chief of EL PAÍS since the paper was founded in 1976, when Juan Luis Cebrián was in charge of the daily. Cebrián was followed by Joaquín Estefanía, Jesús Ceberio and Javier Moreno.
As is established by the newspaper’s statute, the new appointment was subject to a consultative vote cast by the workforce.
The new editor of EL PAÍS is taking on the challenge of combining continuity with change, and transmitting the publication’s legacy of excellence and quality without losing sight of the importance of innovation, as was explained last Monday by Cebrían, the executive chairman of PRISA, during the company’s recent shareholder meeting. The handover has taken place with the aim of furthering the digitalization of the newspaper, as well as its international expansion, and to tackle the generational challenge of new readers, as Cebrián explained.
The new team at the paper will be headed up by David Alandete (Algemesí, Valencia, 1978), who has been named deputy editor. With a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Valencia, a master in Journalism from the Journalism School at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) / EL PAÍS and in International Relations from George Washington University (studied via a Fullbright scholarship), Alandete has worked at the Cadena Ser network and Localia TV, and in 2007 he joined the news team at EL PAÍS in Washington, where he was correspondent at the Pentagon, the State Department and Congress. He covered two presidential elections and was special correspondent in Afghanistan, covering the 10th anniversary of the North American military operation in the country. Since January 2013, he has been Middle Eastern correspondent for EL PAÍS, based in Jerusalem.
This new era will see the structure of EL PAÍS organized around four major areas: digital, print, Americas and weekend, which will be headed up by assistant editors Bernardo Marín, Eva Saiz, Luis Prados and Maite Rico, respectively. The aim is to develop quality news content for all media (print, internet, smartphones, tablets), boost the presence of EL PAÍS in Latin America – including the edition in Portuguese, aimed at the Brazilian market – and the United States, as well as strengthening the paper’s weekend brands, with Sunday magazine El País Semanal as the point of reference. As is established by the newspaper’s statute, the new appointments were subject to a consultative vote cast by the workforce.
Bernardo Marín García (Teruel, 1972) will head up the digital area. After initial studies in Tenerife, he got a degree in Economic Law at the University of Deusto. After gaining his master in Journalism from the Journalism School at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) / EL PAÍS, he began working at the newspaper in 1998, and over the last two years has been in charge of the newsroom in Mexico and was later head of the Americas edition. He has taught digital journalism at the UAM / EL PAÍS school, the Funglode in Santo Domingo and the Foundation of New Iberoamerican Journalism in Cartagena de Indias.
Eva Saiz Escolano (Almería, 1976) will be in charge of the print edition. She has a degree in Law and a Master in Telecommunications Law from the Pontificia de Comillas ICADE University in Madrid, a master in Practical Law from the Center for Legal Studies and Research and in Journalism from the UAM / EL PAÍS School. She has worked as a legal advisor as well as carrying out voluntary work for the United Nations in the area of environment, and in 2010 she worked in EL PAÍS in the Sports and Politics sections. In March 2012, she joined the paper’s Washington bureau.
Luis Prados de la Escosura (Málaga, 1959) will be heading up the Americas edition. With a degree in Hispanic Studies from the Complutense University in Madrid, he was part of the first class to study the journalism master at UAM / EL PAÍS. He joined the newspaper in 1998, and has worked in the National, Culture, Society, Communication, Domingo and International sections. In 2007 he was named section head of International, and in 2011 became correspondent in Mexico, where he was in charge of creating a bureau in Mexico City. Two years later he oversaw the launch of EL PAÍS Brazil.
Maite Rico (Madrid, 1963) has been named head of the weekend edition of EL PAÍS, and of El País Semanal magazine. She has a degree in Geography and History from the Complutense University in Madrid, and obtained the journalism master from UAM / EL PAÍS. She has been a correspondent in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and has covered conflicts in Bosnia, Somalia and Libya. She is currently a leader writer on international affairs. She is the co-author of the books Marcos, la genial impostura (París, Plon, y Madrid, Aguilar, 1998) and ¿Quién mató al obispo? Autopsia de un crimen político (Madrid, Martínez Roca, 2005).
The newspaper’s editorial team will continue to count on the presence of Lluís Bassets (deputy editor), José Manuel Calvo (head of Opinion) and Francesc Valls (editor of the Catalonia edition). Several other former editorial heads will continue to work with the newspaper. Caño has named Vicente Jiménez as correspondent in New York; Carlos Yárnoz will be correspondent in Paris; Jan Martínez Ahrens will head up the bureau in Mexico City; José Manuel Romero, legal correspondent; Goyo Rodríguez, head of special projects; and Berna González Harbour will take over the Babelia supplement.
