El Nuevo Cojo
Encyclopedia
El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado was a free alternative webzine published monthly from Harlem
, New York
. It was founded in 2003, and originally conceived as an arts and opinion magazine
focused exclusively on Venezuelan
culture for Venezuelans living in the United States
. It also sought to be a window to the US press for Spanish
speaking only immigrants by translating English articles from mainstream
newspapers. But the website slowly embraced a wider audience by covering general interest issues. The site went online on April 19 and until December 2005 was updated monthly. Starting January 2006, El Nuevo Cojo moved into a model of constant updating in order to compete with the popularity of Blogging.
Since April 2005, El Nuevo Cojo started publishing an erratically printed monthly tabloid focusing on local and international events and highly politicized opinion articles in line with a gradual shift towards a more left-leaning and liberal
editorial point of view. However, over time, the satirical articles and sections like fake horoscopes, polls
, movie reviews and obituaries have demonstrated to be El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado’s real trademark
.
El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado's music
section is integrated to a radio
streaming
service called Lobotoradio. The service transmits a 24 stream of Hispanic and English pop
/rock
in support of music reviews and articles.
El Nuevo Cojo was founded by Gustavo Morales, a Venezuelan lawyer and New York resident, who frequently contributes history and opinion articles. The staff is made out of an international group of Hispanic
writers and journalists from Europe
, Latin America
and the United States. Freelance writers are frequent contributors, given El Nuevo Cojo’s policy of promoting the art of writing for non-journalists. In its first year of existing, 80% of El Nuevo Cojo’s articles were written by freelancers, mostly readers. Today freelancers’ contributions make only about 10% of El Nuevo Cojo’s output.
The change, rather than from diminishing readership, was due to the development of a strong team of columnists and contributors.
El Nuevo Cojo first gained notoriety among Venezuelan readers by its strong criticism to the failed Coup d'etat
that sought the deposing of President Hugo Chávez
in Venezuela
and later against the 2004 recall referendum
, when the wide majority of Venezuelan media outlets opposed the president. Attacks against opposition journalists and politicians were frequent and opened to the door to articles about local racism, classism and values in the Venezuelan society. This position gained the webzine a “Chavista” reputation that it hasn’t been able to clean up. Far from being “Chavista” (El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado has published articles criticizing Chávez’ politics in several occasions), its ideological stance about Venezuelan affairs was motivated by its liberal and anti-Bush
anti-War in Iraq
point of view.
El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado’s staff has changed a lot since its launching, but frequent contributors include Spanish writer Xavier B. Fernandez (Barcelona
), Venezuelan expatriate Vicente Ulive-Schnell (Paris
), Carolina Taboada (Venezuela) and Argentine journalist Cruz Joaquin Saubidet (New York). The printed edition of El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado is highlighted by high concept illustrations by Spanish artist ADOLF.
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was founded in 2003, and originally conceived as an arts and opinion magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
focused exclusively on Venezuelan
Culture of Venezuela
The Venezuelan people have a rich cultural heritage. From the original American Indians to the Spanish and Africans who arrived after the Spanish conquest, the twentieth century waves of immigration brought many Italians, Portuguese, Arabs, Germans, Moroccan Jews, and others from the bordering...
culture for Venezuelans living in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It also sought to be a window to the US press for Spanish
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...
speaking only immigrants by translating English articles from mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
newspapers. But the website slowly embraced a wider audience by covering general interest issues. The site went online on April 19 and until December 2005 was updated monthly. Starting January 2006, El Nuevo Cojo moved into a model of constant updating in order to compete with the popularity of Blogging.
Since April 2005, El Nuevo Cojo started publishing an erratically printed monthly tabloid focusing on local and international events and highly politicized opinion articles in line with a gradual shift towards a more left-leaning and liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
editorial point of view. However, over time, the satirical articles and sections like fake horoscopes, polls
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
, movie reviews and obituaries have demonstrated to be El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado’s real trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
.
El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado's music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
section is integrated to a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
service called Lobotoradio. The service transmits a 24 stream of Hispanic and English pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
/rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
in support of music reviews and articles.
El Nuevo Cojo was founded by Gustavo Morales, a Venezuelan lawyer and New York resident, who frequently contributes history and opinion articles. The staff is made out of an international group of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
writers and journalists from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the United States. Freelance writers are frequent contributors, given El Nuevo Cojo’s policy of promoting the art of writing for non-journalists. In its first year of existing, 80% of El Nuevo Cojo’s articles were written by freelancers, mostly readers. Today freelancers’ contributions make only about 10% of El Nuevo Cojo’s output.
The change, rather than from diminishing readership, was due to the development of a strong team of columnists and contributors.
El Nuevo Cojo first gained notoriety among Venezuelan readers by its strong criticism to the failed Coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that sought the deposing of President Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and later against the 2004 recall referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, when the wide majority of Venezuelan media outlets opposed the president. Attacks against opposition journalists and politicians were frequent and opened to the door to articles about local racism, classism and values in the Venezuelan society. This position gained the webzine a “Chavista” reputation that it hasn’t been able to clean up. Far from being “Chavista” (El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado has published articles criticizing Chávez’ politics in several occasions), its ideological stance about Venezuelan affairs was motivated by its liberal and anti-Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
anti-War in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
point of view.
El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado’s staff has changed a lot since its launching, but frequent contributors include Spanish writer Xavier B. Fernandez (Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
), Venezuelan expatriate Vicente Ulive-Schnell (Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
), Carolina Taboada (Venezuela) and Argentine journalist Cruz Joaquin Saubidet (New York). The printed edition of El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado is highlighted by high concept illustrations by Spanish artist ADOLF.
External links
- An entertaining view of the country El Universal, April 28, 2003
- El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado will start paper edition El Universal, August 16, 2004
- Cojo pero no ilustrado Ricardo Mitre, El gusano de la luz. Analysis about El Nuevo Cojo Ilustrado's editorial content.
- More about El Nuevo Cojo in the article about Xavier B. Fernández @ Wikipedia in Spanish