Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- In less than one year, El Observador de Utah has become the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the state, reaching over 60,000 readers a week.
Hispanics can no longer be a silent minority. But to make decisions, you need to be informed.
–Patricia Quijano Dark, editor
The newspaper, which began on Feb. 9, 2010, is one of the few news sources that Salt Lake's burgeoning Hispanic population, said Patricia Quijano Dark, editor of the newspaper. About 20 percent of Utah's population is Hispanic and serious media largely ignores that population, Dark said. (El Observador de Utah is owned by Deseret Management Corporation, the parent company of the ksl.com).
"With all the controversy of immigration reform, it's more and more important for people to be informed," Dark said. "Hispanics can no longer be a silent minority. But to make decisions, you need to be informed."
Over the past two decades Utah's Hispanic population has quadrupled, going from 84,600 in 1990 to 345,000 in 2010, according to Pam Perlich, a senior research economist at the University of Utah. "This is a permanent demographic change to Utah," Perlich said, adding that Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the state.
They are also wielding more economic influence, says Kirk McMullin, Deseret News Marketing Director. McMullin estimates that the buying power of Utah's Hispanic community has reached $6.5 billion annually.
When Mark Willes, CEO of DMC, and Jim Wall, now president and CEO of the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce, hired Dark to launch El Observador, they gathered focus groups of about 20 Hispanics from different areas in Salt Lake to discover what the community wanted most in a media source.
There's an emphasis on education. You can read about our economic state, you can read about politics. They have the stories and news as it happens.
–Francisco Sotelo, Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
They found that most wanted a professional Spanish-language newspaper with trusted voices of experienced journalists who could provide a reliable news source, which is something they were not getting, Dark said.
Francisco Sotelo, executive director of Utah's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that in the past year El Observador has provided a well-rounded source of information that helps its readers understand relevant issues.
"They bring this freshness that we didn't have before," Sotelo said. "There's an emphasis on education. You can read about our economic state, you can read about politics. They have the stories and news as it happens."
Sotelo has seen a positive response to the newspaper in his community and has noticed that people are more aware of what is happening in the state and the nation economically, politically and socially due to the paper.
Dark said that immigration coverage is a top priority for the paper because it's what readers want more information about.
"Nobody wants to be illegal. No one chooses to be illegal," she said. "The system is so broken."
Those who are illegal immigrants don't know how to change their legal status and are afraid to ask, she said. El Observador lets people know what options they have, where they can go for financial, legal, health and education assistance.
"We hope that we can be kind of like a ‘101' to living in Utah and inform people what is available," Dark said.
The newspaper's website, observadordeutah.com, will launch this weekend, providing a resource with the names and numbers of consulates, hospitals, police and community organizations. The website will publish the entire newspaper online and be a resource for Hispanics who want to share local news and information with relatives in other countries.
"Readers are, hopefully, enjoying what they're reading and learning and helping their families through what we do," Dark said. "It's been an amazing opportunity for me."
To celebrate its anniversary, the newspaper will host several community events, including a teen fashion show at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 26 and a Quinceañera party for 50 Hispanic girls who have good grades, are involved in their community, and who will turn 15 this year.
For more information visit observadordeutah.com.
E-mail: rcambell@desnews.com
