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Revision with unchanged content. This case study of leftist journalism in Latin America defines the charac teristics, in specific historical circumstances, of Alternativa, a magazine pu blished in Colombia from 1974 to 1980. The model was based on four ob jectives counter-informing; doing investigation, analysis and interpretation; divulging the struggles of the people; and propitiating the unity of the left with the ultimate goal of bringing revolutionary change to the country. The Marxists background of its founders, which included Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, determined the magazine s content and an initially independent and neutral approach toward the left parties, while reaching a wide mass-circulation readership. Principled political differences led the magazine to several crises that fostered its journalistic evolution, probing the limits of press freedom in its struggle to survive against a reckless and corrupt regime. The narrative reviews the history of the country as it was portrayed in the publication, contrasting it with that of the establishment s media; it highlights paramount issues such as human rights violations, corruption and the role of the press, through the coverage of Colombia s armed forces and police; and it explores the magazine s complex relationship with the left, which eventually led to its demise.

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Ph. D., Journalism and Public Communication, University of Maryland; M. S., Journalism, Columbia University, New York; former foreign correspondent in the United States, editor, translator, historian; professor and designer of undergraduate Journalism program, School of Communication, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.

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