Original article: Junge Welt destaca versión en alemán de El Ciudadano y su mirada latinoamericana para Europa
The newspaper Junge Welt has turned its attention to the project of El Ciudadano, which now publishes a German edition aimed at bringing the Chilean and Latin American reality to the audience in this European nation.
In an interview with its founder, Bruno Sommer, the German outlet explored the motivations, economic challenges, and political vision driving this transatlantic endeavor, emphasizing the need to offer a narrative from the Global South in the heart of the old continent.
Firstly, the Junge Welt team asked Sommer: What motivated you to establish this media outlet? Sommer recalled that El Ciudadano emerged in 2005 in southern Chile «to report on issues that others did not want to make public, acting as a spokesperson for social movements often ignored by the mainstream press, while the exploitation of natural resources was destroying our region.»
«We wanted to expose these injustices and, at the same time, provide solutions,» he stated.
He also highlighted that the fight against the neoliberal model inherited from Pinochet’s dictatorship and enshrined in the Constitution has shaped the editorial line from the outset.
«Our editorial line — the self-determination of peoples, progressivism, and libertarian socialism — has granted us credibility,» he noted.
Making the leap to Europe is no small matter; it involves providing an unfiltered and direct Latin American perspective. Sommer explained that the goal of El Ciudadano is to create an autonomous cultural bridge, allowing the reality of Chile and the region to be shared through its own voice, rather than through the lens of networks like CNN or Deutsche Welle.
The aim is clear: for German-speaking audiences to understand events from a southern perspective, challenging dominant narratives.
«We are interested in the narrative emancipation of Latin America. We contribute our perspective; it is the German-speaking public that shapes the final image. This way, we can, for example, introduce the Latin American critique of Zionism as an ideology. Or the Latin American view of U.S. bases like Ramstein, from which wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are partially facilitated. Meanwhile, a propaganda-driven climate of hostility against Russia, China, and the Arab world is fostered to guarantee the European oligarchy global access to raw materials. This too is a subject of critical debate in Latin America,» he explained.
«We want to build a cultural bridge, autonomously and from our own perspective,» he emphasized.
«The people help the people»
Sommer was also asked about the maneuverability independent media like El Ciudadano have in a landscape dominated by large corporations and acknowledged that their influence is tied to material resources and the commitment of their audiounce, «who not only consumes but also questions and shares».
«This is reflected in an average time spent on our portal of over ten minutes. That is our true capital. A fundamental problem with large platforms is that a few decide for millions, with the majority unable to influence. Thus, unless we strengthen our digital ecosystems, our maneuverability will remain limited,» he explained.
He also pointed out that the economic survival of the project challenges the logic of large capital and is sustained by a community principle: «The people help the people.»
«In addition to advertising and social media monetization, we receive donations, sell our printed edition, and participate in funding rounds or projects. Moreover, we already have over 1,000 subscribers: in exchange for a fee, individuals and social organizations can read without ads, as well as publish their own articles or columns. Licensing models also play an important role: in Mexico, there is already an edition of El Ciudadano in exchange for a fee for the use of the brand,» he detailed.
«We would like something like this to also exist in Germany,» specified the founder of El Ciudadano.
«Criminalization Continues to be Used as a Weapon Against Critical Media in Chile»
In the interview with Junge Welt, Bruno Sommer pointed out that judicial persecution remains a threat to critical media in Chile and a reminder that truth is not always a shield.
In 2015, El Ciudadano took the Chilean state to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) after being convicted of defamation against former congressman Miodrag Marinović, even though it had stated the truth.
He recalled that in Chile, the law allows for defamation lawsuits, «regardless of whether one holds a public office or not,» meaning «the veracity of the facts is not verified.»
He emphasized that although the IACHR urged the Chilean state to reach an agreement, this measure has not materialized, highlighting that «criminalization continues to be used as a weapon against critical media, particularly because smaller newsrooms often lack the necessary resources to face a lawsuit.»
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