The Colombian press, from Bogotá to the Caribbean coast

The Colombian press is read in Spanish in El Tiempo, El Espectador and Semana magazine, in regional dailies such as El Colombiano and El Heraldo, on digital-native sites and through the major radio networks, most of it accessible online.

El Espectador, the elder statesman of the Colombian press

Founded in Medellín in 1887 before moving to Bogotá, El Espectador is the oldest daily in the country. El Tiempo was born in the capital in 1911 and became, during the twentieth century, the paper of record for Colombia's political elite.

El Tiempo, El Espectador and Semana compared

El Tiempo, owned by Luis Carlos Sarmiento's group, takes a centrist, establishment line. El Espectador, owned by the Santo Domingo group, presents itself as more liberal and committed to investigation, while Semana has leaned more conservative since its change of leadership in 2020.

A Spanish-language press with Indigenous voices

National media publish in Spanish, but community radio stations broadcast in Wayuunaiki in La Guajira and in Amazonian languages. On San Andrés, Raizal English Creole is heard on local airwaves, a reflection of the country's cultural diversity.

Medellín, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga: Colombia's regional dailies

Colombia is a country of regions, each with its own daily: El Colombiano in Medellín, El Heraldo in Barranquilla, Vanguardia in Bucaramanga, El País in Cali and El Universal in Cartagena. They cover mayors, governors, security and the local economy.

Pulzo, La Silla Vacía and the digital generation

Digital-native sites have multiplied: Pulzo aims at a broad audience, La Silla Vacía has analysed political power since 2009 and Cuestión Pública carries out investigations. Short videos on TikTok and Instagram are widely followed by young Colombians.

Colprensa and the international correspondents

With no major state news agency, regional papers share content through Colprensa, an agency specialising in national news. For international coverage, Bogotá newsrooms use AFP, EFE and Reuters, all of which keep permanent bureaus in the capital.

RTVC, Caracol and RCN: listening and watching

The public RTVC system brings together Señal Colombia, Canal Institucional and Radio Nacional de Colombia. Audiences are still dominated by the private Caracol and RCN groups, whose news stations such as Caracol Radio and La FM set the tone each morning.

Colombians in Madrid, Miami and Caracas

The Colombian diaspora lives mainly in the United States, Spain and Venezuela. Florida's Hispanic media, covered in our guide to the US press, and the outlets in Spanish newspapers regularly follow Colombian news, especially elections and migration.

Portafolio, La República and football coverage

Portafolio, linked to El Tiempo, and La República, a business daily since 1954, follow coffee, Ecopetrol's oil and the peso. For football, from Atlético Nacional to Millonarios and the national team, Futbolred and sports radio are widely followed.

Reporting in a country shaped by armed conflict

Decades of conflict have exposed regional journalists to threats from armed groups. The Foundation for Press Freedom, known as FLIP, documents these attacks, while the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC opened a new chapter for the country.

Read Colombian news free or subscribe?

El Tiempo, El Espectador and Semana offer digital subscriptions in pesos, with a set number of free articles or exclusive content. Regional dailies and Pulzo remain largely open, and the Bogotá radio stations stream free of charge.

Cross-checking the news from Bogotá

Compare El Tiempo and El Espectador, then consult ColombiaCheck for dubious statements by politicians. Official figures come from DANE, the national statistics institute. On the border and migration, Venezuelan media provide an essential complementary perspective.

Keeping up with Colombian news outside the country

1. Read a national daily every day, El Tiempo or El Espectador, for the main political and legal stories.
2. Add the daily for your region of interest, El Colombiano for Antioquia or El Heraldo for the Caribbean coast.
3. Listen live online to a morning radio show, Caracol Radio or La FM, for interviews with ministers.
4. Follow La Silla Vacía to understand the inner workings of Congress, the parties and regional elections.
5. Set up alerts on peace, security and the peso so you never miss an important development.
6. Check viral rumours with ColombiaCheck before sharing them on social networks or messaging apps.

Access to Colombian media and subscriptions

Useful information on Colombian media

• Language: Colombian Spanish
• Time zone: UTC-5, no daylight saving time
• Currency: Colombian peso (COP)
• National dailies: El Tiempo and El Espectador
• Business press: Portafolio and La República
• Public broadcaster: RTVC, with Señal Colombia and Radio Nacional
• Press freedom: FLIP reports

Mistakes to avoid with the Colombian press

• Confusing El Tiempo of Bogotá with namesake papers published in other Spanish-speaking countries, since the title is very common in Latin America.
• Mixing up El País of Cali with the Spanish daily of the same name, although their lines and subjects have nothing in common.
• Reading Semana as a neutral weekly without taking into account its recent, more politically marked editorial shift.
• Passing on old security figures as if they were current; the situation varies greatly from one region and one year to the next.
• Trusting fake accounts imitating well-known radio stations on X or WhatsApp, which are common during election campaigns.

Frequent questions on the Colombian press