José Antonio Martínez Soler facts for kids

José Antonio Martínez Soler (born January 8, 1947) is a famous Spanish journalist. He is known for starting 20 minutos, a popular daily newspaper in Spain. This newspaper is based in Madrid and has many editions in other big cities. José also studied at Harvard University in the United States from 1976 to 1977 as a Nieman Fellow, which is a special program for journalists.

Helping Spain Become a Democracy

José Antonio Martínez Soler played an important role in Spain's history. After the dictator Francisco Franco died, Spain was changing from a dictatorship to a democracy. During this time, José was the chief editor of a weekly magazine called Doblón.

He wrote an article called "De Vega a Campano." This article shared important information about how some people who supported the old dictator were trying to remove military leaders who wanted democracy. Because of this article, José faced serious danger. He was threatened and put in a very difficult situation.

However, his article helped stop these unfair actions. After it was published, the people who supported the old dictator could not unfairly move military personnel who wanted democracy out of their important jobs. This helped Spain become a democracy more smoothly and safely.

Working in the United States

Later in his career, José Antonio Martínez Soler worked in the United States. He was the head of the New York office for a Spanish TV station owned by the government.

In 1996, he interviewed the main candidates for president of Spain: Felipe Gonzalez and Jose Maria Aznar. After Jose Maria Aznar won the election, José Antonio Martínez Soler was removed from his job by the new government.

See also

In Spanish: José Antonio Martínez Soler para niños