News in a Different Wrapping

No longer residents of a small town in Texas, Laredoans have witnessed the increasing development of news, and the way they are presented to the local community. María Eugenia Guerra, better known as Meg, is the Publisher and Owner of LareDOS: A Journal of the Borderlands, a publication that has largely contributed to this change. LareDOS, a monthly newspaper or an "alternative news journal," as Guerra calls it, has become a distinctive read that departs from the typical way of presenting the news and events of the city.
In recognition for the past 18 years that LareDOS has been in business, Guerra recently received third place as "Journalist of the Year for Publications under 100,000 circulation" at the 2012 Lone Star Awards. These awards are an annual event to honor outstanding journalists in Texas that work in various forms of media; they are hosted by the Houston Press Club, the oldest press organization in the state. According to Guerra, she entered the contest because she "wanted a reading on where we [LareDOS] were in terms of quality, and entering a contest seemed to be a good way to find out."
Guerra describes Laredo as a city rich with content of whom or what to write about. "Laredo is the motherload of stories. You're never going to run out of stories," she asserts. Government spending, education, the environment, and culture are amongst the most recurrent topics in her publications. In addition, Guerra is a practitioner of "advocacy journalism," which is a field of journalism that aims to inform people so they can take action accordingly, rather than just presenting a story in an unbiased manner. As Guerra states, "I think you earn the privilege to divert from the basic formula for telling a story. Over years of experience, as you become a more astute storyteller."
Guerra's goal is "to inform and to affect change through advocacy." This facet of journalism involves longer, research-filled, in-depth pieces. Her work also explores personal, cultural, socioeconomic, and political disparities in the community by presenting people from all walks of life, from rich city council members to humble everyday people. Also, Guerra and LareDOS promote the efforts of preserving and beautifying downtown Laredo. She admits to being concerned about the lack of importance that downtown Laredo is given by public officials, stating, "Revitalizing the old heart of the city is not a priority."
Meg Guerra is not one to mince words. She affirms that she has a tendency of presenting the news in a way that although not traditional, is definitely helpful to the readers. Her straightforward, no-nonsense way of writing sets her apart from the great majority in the journalistic field. She writes daily, mostly working on her short stories. Also, she mentions that even though she no longer has as much time as she'd want to dedicate to it, reading is also one of her hobbies. One of her longtime dreams is to publish a fiction book in the near future.
For more information on LareDOS Newspaper, you may contact Meg Guerra at meg@laredosnews.com or call her at (956)791-9950.
(Joana Santillana may be reached at joana.santillana@dusty.tamiu.edu)