PHILADELPHIA -- Recognized for its role in in the growing bilingual media market, AL DÍA News was the subject of an article written for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism’s research arm.

Posted on NeimanLab.org, the article, titled “How AL DÍA, Philadelphia’s Spanish-language newspaper, is adapting to a bilingual world”, author Joseph Lichterman highlights the publication’s effort to tap into the city’s growing Latino population.

Lichterman writes that AL DÍA’s shift to publishing original content in both English and Spanish on its website, which launched in 2014, mirrors the growing trend in the national media to tap into the young Latino audience. An audience which, Lichterman wrote is increasingly bilingual.

“Sixty-two percent of adult American Hispanics are bilingual or primarily speak English, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey. By 2020, 34 percent of Hispanics will speak only English at home, an increase from 26 percent in 2013, according to projects by the U.S. Census Bureau.”

The article made the rounds in the industry and provoked comments from local and national journalists.

The @NiemanLab takes a look at @ALDIANews, its future, and why it's becoming a mainstream media force in Philly: https://t.co/KiTGNuMxNq

— Josh Kruger (@JoshKrugerPHL) January 16, 2016

As a reader/writer I think @ALDIANews fills a void from Philly's defunct alt-weekly scene and produces solid, relevant journalistic content.

— Josh Kruger (@JoshKrugerPHL) January 16, 2016

Young Latinos prefer news in English but still desperation for stories told in manner they feel is representative https://t.co/5lg4xSPqCQ

— Carrie Brown (@Brizzyc) January 15, 2016

"Bilingual news is the future of media," said AL DÍA CEO Hernan Guaracao. "Language is simply one aspect of it. What is more important is the capacity to tell the stories of the new America shaping up before our eyes. We will tell this story through media, regardless what language that may be. We're doing the obvious. Fusion and others have been trying to figure out how to evolve. What we need to do is look beyond the language as well. The relevance of the content is paramount."

“A dual-language-capable newsroom is already the norm in many media organizations that serve immigrant communities,” said Sabrina Vourvoulias, AL DÍA's Executive Editor. “It will undoubtedly become a requirement for all newsrooms that want to meet the demands of an increasingly demographically diverse population. But we knew we wanted to go even further than our dual-language newsroom and create an absolutely dual-language website where content in both languages would be treated with equal respect and enthusiasm.”

Read the full article on NeimanLab.org here.

Available for comment: Hernan Guaracao, AL DÍA News CEO

Contact: Swabreen Bakr / 215-789-6969 / swabreenb@aldianews.com

ABOUT US:

AL DÍA News Media is a dynamic news organization based in Philadelphia, with an increasingly national scope and reach. Our multi-platform news media organization showcases the fullness of the Latino experience in the United States — fostering engagement and driving a new American narrative. AL DÍA empowers Latinos to write their own story and is the only news media organization that defines the Latino experience proactively.

AL DÍA offers readers a unique perspective in the midst of the cluttered media landscape with its national news website available in English and Spanish, a newspaper, English-language events including media panels, political conversations, and other ambitious content initiatives. Our print product has a 96 percent reach in the Latino market and is the only audited and only award-winning publication for the Latino audience in the Greater Philadelphia region. Visit aldianews.com for more information.