Anadolu Agency’s Spanish service celebrates anniversary

By Daniel Salgar Antolinez

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Anadolu Agency opened its Spanish service in Colombia last year which began operations on Aug. 1.

The Bogota team remains connected to Anadolu Agency´s global network which broadcasts news in 13 languages and has correspondents in 86 countries.

One of the main objectives of the Bogota headquarters is to build bridges in order to deliver firsthand information about the complex realities of Turkey and the Arab and Muslim world to Spanish speakers. At the same time, it informs the rest of the world about current events in the Spanish speaking world.

More than a news exchange, the office’s aim is to bring societies together, raise interest in faraway corners of the world and dispel stereotypes.

Since its opening, the Spanish service has published over 12,000 news articles, 8,000 photos and over 1,300 videos on the topics of politics, the economy, sports and culture.

It has also published various expert analyses and infographics on various topics. Its contents have had a profound impact on various media outlets in Colombia, and the agency is helping these outlets enrich their news repertoire.

This year, the agency has covered all major events in the region, including migration crises, corruption scandals, presidential elections and natural disasters. It has also focused on offering its subscribers and the general public a series of special reports, interviews and human interest stories.

Looking ahead, the Spanish service plans to widen its news coverage while continuing to build new bridges between places and cultures that are now not so distant.

Founded in 1920, Anadolu Agency will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary. As a global agency, it produces an average of 1,384 news articles, 4,000 photos, 400 videos and six infographics daily for its international subscribers.

In 2017, the agency opened its Spanish and Indonesian services, with the related languages spoken by over 750 million people around the world.

*Ahmed Fawzi Mostefai contributed to this story