Ana Nieto is a business editor at El Diario, where she has worked for the past six years covering business, the economy, and social issues. A journalist with more than 20 years experience, she previously was the U.S. correspondent for the financial Spanish newspaper Cinco Dias for 10 years. She recently launched Trinos y Sirenas, a mini podcast about the experiences of Latinos during the pandemic.
Tell us about your background - was it always in journalism?
I have always wanted to be a journalist. I grew up listening to the radio. It was always on when my mother was at home. Now
,
as an adult
,
I am still in love with it
,
and I have just declared myself
a podcast addict. Like many journalists, I didn't study journalism but law in my hometown of Madrid. I never worked as a lawyer. After receiving my degree
,
I enrolled in the journalism program developed by El PaĆs, a leading Spanish newspaper.
What was your first taste of journalism?
My first real job was on the radio. I was an eager intern, and I was happy to do anything. Luckily
I was not asked to, but I would've even gotten coffee for the editors. I had minor assignments, and I was under constant supervision as a newbie. One morning
,
ETA, a terrorist group, set off a bomb in downtown Madrid. I was arriving at the newsroom when I heard the explosion. That day
,
I arrived earlier than normal and there were few reporters in the office. The editor sent me with a cell phone
(
that I didn't know how to use
!)
to the hospital to check on victims of the bombing. Once there
,
I reported that the attack wasn't random:
it had a specific target and the terrorist had succeeded. It was a sad day. I did my job the best I could.
Given the pandemic, how is your newsroom operating?
We are all working from home and communicating by chats and phone calls. It is not ideal in our type of work, where ideas have to flow constantly and quickly
.
B
ut this is what we all have to do now. I can't wait to go back to the office.
How has your coverage changed?
Not surprisingly
,
almost everything is about COVID-19
,
and in the last couple of days more so about civil unrest. We are in a time of uncertainty. News and investigations are difficult to bring to the readers with the rush that internet users demand of us. The news cycle changes so rapidly that a lot of the work quickly fades. Circumstances are flowing and evolving nonstop
,
and we are living in a year that will be marked in
h
istory.
I try to bring to the table a perspective that can be useful and relevant for the readers, given the information and circumstances. If there is something we have painfully learned
,
it
'
s that the Latino community has shown how vulnerable it is. More than ever we need to tell them that we are with them
,
and help them with resources that are important in their daily lives.
What do you look for in a story now?
I look for what I always have
: s
tories that are true
and
relevant to my readers because
the content is useful to them. I like to find big ideas in mundane stories.
Where do you get your ideas?
There are some people and organi
z
ations who make good pitches
,
but essentially I keep my eyes and ears open and try to be curious. My ideas come, for the most part, from one of the "
five w'
s" that are essential to this work:
what,
why, when, who, and where. I like to answer the "why" and
I also like to look at data.
What are your pet peeves about pitches that come your way?
I am not particularly drawn to promotional pitches.
What advice can you offer to anyone who wants to pitch you a story?
Know what I do. I like to tell stories that relate to the people. Stories that open doors that are closed to the majority of the readers or that are relevant to their lives.
How can people get in touch with you and follow you on social media?
My email is
ana.nieto@impremedia.com
and you can find me
on
Twitter
at
@anabnieto. I am also
o
n LinkedIn. I don't have a personal F
acebook
account and gave up on I
nstagram
some time ago.
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