Claridad is a Spanish-language

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 weekly newspaper

Weekly newspaper

A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...

 based in San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...

. It was first published in June, 1959. Claridad served as the official publication of the Pro-Independence Movement

Puerto Rican independence movement

The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...

 and later the Puerto Rican Socialist Party

Puerto Rican Socialist Party

The Puerto Rican Socialist Party was a Marxist and pro-independence political party in Puerto Rico seeking the end of United States of America control on the Hispanic and Caribbean island...

. The paper has been praised for its strong political and investigative reporting

Investigative journalism

Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...

. It continues to be published weekly despite the fact that the PSP was disbanded in 1993. Many former PSP members continue to contribute to the paper.

Its central supplement, "En Rojo" ("In Red") is one of the best cultural magazines in the island, featuring historical and literary articles, movie reviews, and linguistic contributions from Puerto Rico's best writers and intellectuals.

Claridad's yearly "Festival Claridad" began as a fund-raising effort, but today has become one of the most important musical and cultural events attracting tens of thousands of participants and some of the most prominent exponents of various musical genres.

Many famous Puerto Ricans have made regular contributions to Claridad, either as editors, writers or graphic artists, including: René Marqués

René Marques

René Marqués was a renowned Puerto Rican short story writer and playwright.-Early years:Marqués was born, raised and educated in the city of Arecibo...

, César Andreu Iglesias

César Andreu Iglesias

César Andreu Iglesias was a Puerto Rican journalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on July 31, 1915.-Independentista activities:...

, Juan Mari Brás

Juan Mari Brás

Juan Mari Brás was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence from the United States who founded the Puerto Rican Socialist Party...

, Carlos Gallisá

Carlos Gallisá

Carlos Gallisá Bisbal is a Puerto Rican attorney, politician, and independence movement leader.After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, Gallisá practiced labor law. He became politicized through the Vieques protests against the United States Navy....

, Lorenzo Homar

Lorenzo Homar

Lorenzo Homar , is considered by many to be Puerto Rico's greatest graphic artist.-Early years:Homar, born in the "Barrio" Puerta de Tierra of San Juan, Puerto Rico, inherited his love for the arts from both of his parents. His father was an arts promoter and his mother a pianist. He went to...

, Carlos Raquel Rivera, Francisco Manrique Cabrera, Elizam Escobar

Elizam Escobar

Elizam Escobar is a Puerto Ricanpoet, author and visual artist.-Early years:Escobar was born in Puerto Rico's second largest city, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the southern part of the island. There he received his primary and secondary education. As a child, he always enjoyed drawing and painting...

, Alfredo Lopez

Alfredo Lopez

Alfredo Jose Miguel Lopez is an activist, writer, media producer, teacher and organizer in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently a well-known Internet activist and the Co-Director of May First/People Link, a progressive Internet users' organization and the Internet's oldest progressive...

 and others. Claridad's current feature writers include: Joserramón Meléndez, Raquel Z. Rivera, Gervasio Morales, Irving García, Elliot Castro, Luz Nereida Pérez, and Fiquito Yunqué

Fiquito Yunqué

Carlos Federico Yunqué González, more commonly known as Fiquito Yunqué, is a fictional character who formerly wrote a weekly humor column for the Puerto Rican weekly newspaper Claridad titled "Me Mudo a La Esquizofrenia" for close to two years . "Me Mudo" has been since February 1, 2009...

, among others.

Further reading

• Maria Cristina Santana, Puerto Rican Newspaper Coverage of the Puerto Rican Independence Party: A Content Analysis of Three Elections (Garland Publishers, Inc., 2000).
• Juan Mari Brás
  Juan Mari Brás
  Juan Mari Brás was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence from the United States who founded the Puerto Rican Socialist Party...
  
  , Memorias de un ciudadano - La Autobiografía de Juan Mari Brás (Editorial Barco de Papel, 2007)