Gracias a los lectores

When EL PAÍS hit the streets, on May 4, 1976, there was no certainty that it would reach half a century of life. In Spain, Franco had just died, and democracy was taking shape. Since then, wars and revolutions have happened in the world, economic crises, technological transformations and unimaginable scientific advances. The media in which news is published and the way to transmit it have changed. We are already a global newspaper that is written and read in Europe, America and many other places. Everything could have been different. And if today we turn 50 years old, it is, above all, thanks to the readers. EL PAÍS was born to be at the service of readers, not of any power, nor of a party, a Government or interests. Readers knew from that date what they could and should expect from us: independence and rigor in the search for truth, and the defense of democracy. This story is the result of some readers encountering a way of doing journalism. The two forged a tacit pact of trust. Half a century later, readers have multiplied and spread throughout the world, but the pact is the same, and it defines what we are. On May 4, 1976, this was a different newspaper than the one you now hold in your hands, tablets, phones or computers. It was printed on paper and in black and white. It has never stopped being printed on paper, but the main distribution channel is digital. It is no longer a Spanish newspaper, or it is not only Spanish. Ad