Andina news agency celebrates the 40th anniversary of its establishment, aimed at providing a State information platform prepared for journalistic challenges especially at hard times, such as the current one characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency was founded on June 12, 1981, under the name of Agencia Peruana de Noticias y Publicidad S.A. (ANDINA) during the second term of former President Fernando Belaunde Terry.
Andina is the result of the merger of State-run ESI-Peru (Agencia Estatal de Noticias Nacionales) and Publi-Peru (Agencia de Publicidad del Estado).
The former company was liquidated in 1994, and since then Agencia Peruana de Noticias Andina (Andina news agency) joined Editora Peru, which also publishes the
Official Gazette El Peruano.
The past 40 years have seen a great evolution from its early days (in the fax era) until the present (in today's Internet-centric world).
This is the era of multimedia journalism, videos, online TV, Facebook news feed, and drones, and Andina is not indifferent to such a change.
Andina integrates different platforms, including social networks Facebook and Twitter.
Furthermore, it is present in major events, presidential summits, and global economic forums while covering everyday situations.
Throughout its history, the agency has become step by step an undisputed source for news often consulted by domestic media and foreign agencies around the world.
It is led by Editor-in-Chief Felix Paz, who advocates for a digital revolution within the newsroom.
2021 elections
Within the framework of the 2021 general elections, the agency guaranteed an equal coverage of both presidential candidates Pedro Castillo (Peru Libre) and Keiko Fujimori (Fuerza Popular).
During the second round of elections —between April 12 and June 7— Andina's main version published 288 articles related to the electoral process; 119 articles about Pedro Castillo and his representatives and 119 articles about Keiko Fujimori and her representatives.
Likewise, it published articles based on information issued by electoral organizations, civil society organizations, the church, and other political parties.
The agency acted as the designated media outlet by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) to photograph the presidential candidates when they were casting votes during the first and second rounds.
In this sense, both national and international media outlets had access to these documents free of charge and without restrictions.
Andina also interviewed 15 of the 18 presidential candidates on its online channel. Three candidates did not accept the invitation.
Information and pandemic
The news agency has carried out its duties during the COVID-19 pandemic by spreading information to Peruvian citizens.
Given the "new reality," a process of digital transformation was started, which resulted in new concepts such as Unified Newsroom, which is also used by
El Peruano staff.
Currently, the journalists work from home. Editors and writers coordinate permanently through diverse platforms such as WhatsApp, Zoom, and phone calls in order to analyze the situation, make decisions, and organize future coverages.
(END) FPQ/MVB
Published: 6/12/2021