From its beginning, the press has represented a driving force for countries all around the world, no matter in which way they inform or entertain their public.

Be it in print or online, newspapers have the power to raise awareness concerning issues that affect several or all social groups. To do so, journalists and publishers have to be closely familiar to their target public’s way of speaking.

That is the reason why becoming a regular newspaper reader would allow any student of a language to know much more of it—vocabulary and syntax in particular—while at the same time getting to know better about local customs and current affairs of specific cultures, from politics to sports, from finances to show business.

So, which newspapers are to be regularly checked in order to be well informed in Spanish? Here is the first part of a short list with the most recognizable Spanish and Latin American newspapers.

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• El Mundo (Spain): With a daily circulation of over 200,000 copies, El Mundo is one of the most important Spanish-speaking newspapers in the world, though it is one of the most recently founded—in October 1989. It is known for its tendency toward the center-right, but it offers a more independent viewpoint than its competitors (e.g., El País and ABC). Today, it is one of the most-read digital newspapers in the world, alongside El País (Spain) and Argentina’s La Nación and Clarín. Website: elmundo.es

• La Nación (Argentina): The online version of this long-lived newspaper (founded in 1870) was the fourth most visited of its kind—an annual readership of more than seven million people in 2016. Despite its conservative leaning, some of the most well-known Spanish-speaking writers have contributed with regular columns, like José Martí, Rubén Darío, José Ortega y Gasset, Jorge Luis Borges, and Mario Vargas Llosa, among many others. Its main competitor is Clarín. Website: lanacion.com.ar

• El Tiempo (Colombia): Originally founded in 1911, El Tiempo is one of South America’s most important newspapers, with a weekly readership reaching three and a half million people. Its website is the one most visited in Colombia and a reference for regional journalists. Website: eltiempo.com

• El Universal (Mexico): First printed in 1916, it was claimed El Universal’s website had an average of more than 16 million visits each month in 2013, with a print circulation of 300,000 daily copies. As a result, this newspaper from Mexico City has become a symbol of that nation’s media. Website: eluniversal.com.mx

• La Tercera (Chile): Published for the first time in 1950, it is one of the most important daily newspapers in the Cono Sur (Southern Cone) and a direct competitor to Chile’s El Mercurio. It has specialized in covering political, business, and economic themes. One interesting detail about its history is that its website (named Diario Electrónico de Copesa in 1994) was one of the first news websites worldwide. Website: latercera.com

• El Nacional (Venezuela): Since 1943, this newspaper has been covering the most important events in Venezuelan history, and it has published the writings of some of the greatest local authors, like Arturo Uslar Pietri. Although it interrupted its print edition in 2018 due to the country’s current economic crisis, it keeps informing their public through its online edition. Website: elnacional.com