Gaspar Roca
Encyclopedia
Gaspar Roca was a Puerto Rican journalist
and economist
.He attended and graduated from the Valley Forge Military Academy He was educated at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
, and held prominent positions in government and the private sector, including the presidency of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company
(PRIDCO).
, filling a market niche for a crime-oriented tabloid, left by the closing of El Imparcial
. Under his editorship, El Vocero evolved into a mainstream newspaper with legitimate news articles, a well-known set of columnist
s, including Luis Dávila Colón
, José Arsenio Torres, Roberto Rexach Benítez
, Eudaldo Báez Galib and Juan Manuel García Passalacqua
, and a wide variety of sections and supplements.
lawsuits, that have opened government to intense press and public scrutiny. An example is the United States Supreme Court decision declaring unconstitutional the Puerto Rico judiciary's rule barring the press from over 30,000 yearly closed-door preliminary hearings where probable-cause was determined in criminal proceedings (El Vocero de Puerto Rico vs Puerto Rico, 508 US 147 (1993)). Other examples include the 1992 lawsuit that forced political candidates to make public their personal finances, and the case declaring unconstitutional Puerto Rico's "criminal defamation" law, that had a limiting effect on the exercise of press freedom right in Puerto Rico.
Journalism in Puerto Rico, and in the mainland United States, has benefitted from these judicial victories. For example, many freedom of the press
court cases and lawsuits filed before state and federal courts cite the holding in El Voceros 1993 US Supreme Court case.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
.He attended and graduated from the Valley Forge Military Academy He was educated at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and held prominent positions in government and the private sector, including the presidency of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company
Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company
The Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company , along with the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank , was created by the government of Puerto Rico in 1942, during the administration of Governor Rexford G...
(PRIDCO).
Journalism
Roca was the founder and editor of the Puerto Rican newspaper El VoceroEl Vocero
El Vocero is a Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan.Published since 1974, El Vocero was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing El Mundo and El Nuevo Día and leading The San Juan Star in sales...
, filling a market niche for a crime-oriented tabloid, left by the closing of El Imparcial
El Imparcial
El Imparcial, founded in 1918, was a Puerto Rican newspaper.In the 1970s Miguel A. García Méndez bought the newspaper. The building where the newspaper was run then was destroyed by political sabotage in a fire...
. Under his editorship, El Vocero evolved into a mainstream newspaper with legitimate news articles, a well-known set of columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
s, including Luis Dávila Colón
Luis Dávila Colón
Luis Dávila Colón is one of Puerto Rico's best-known political analysts, radio commentators and newspaper columnist. His daily radio talk show, broadcast for a decade, until December 2009, from 4:30 to 7:00 pm by the Notiuno radio network moves to UnivisionRadio WKAQ-AM in 2010...
, José Arsenio Torres, Roberto Rexach Benítez
Roberto Rexach Benítez
Roberto Rexach Benítez is a Puerto Rican politician, and former Senator and Representative. Rexach Benítez served as the tenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 1996...
, Eudaldo Báez Galib and Juan Manuel García Passalacqua
Juan Manuel García Passalacqua
Juan Manuel Garcia-Passalacqua was a well known lawyer, writer and political analyst from Puerto Rico.-Early years:...
, and a wide variety of sections and supplements.
Press freedom
One of his contributions to journalism was his willingness to bankroll freedom of informationFreedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
lawsuits, that have opened government to intense press and public scrutiny. An example is the United States Supreme Court decision declaring unconstitutional the Puerto Rico judiciary's rule barring the press from over 30,000 yearly closed-door preliminary hearings where probable-cause was determined in criminal proceedings (El Vocero de Puerto Rico vs Puerto Rico, 508 US 147 (1993)). Other examples include the 1992 lawsuit that forced political candidates to make public their personal finances, and the case declaring unconstitutional Puerto Rico's "criminal defamation" law, that had a limiting effect on the exercise of press freedom right in Puerto Rico.
Journalism in Puerto Rico, and in the mainland United States, has benefitted from these judicial victories. For example, many freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
court cases and lawsuits filed before state and federal courts cite the holding in El Voceros 1993 US Supreme Court case.