On April 25, 2023, a phone call from an out-of-state number ended La Estrella de Tucsón, leaving the city without a Spanish-language newspaper. For Liliana López Ruelas, who had spent years as an editor there, it was a moment of frustration—but also of determination.
Host Carlos Quintero speaks with Liliana about what happened next: a return to school, a master’s degree at the University of Arizona, and the launch of Somos Tucson, a digital news outlet focused on serving Tucson’s Latino community with útil, celebratory journalism.
Born in Douglas and raised in Agua Prieta, Liliana shares her journey across borders, from Mexico City’s political magazines to Tucson’s newsrooms, and why she now embraces her identity as a Latina journalist. She shares her experience and passion for community journalism, collaborative resistance, and the power of staying close to the stories that matter most.
Music: Somos Más Americanos, by Tigres del Norte
Hosting, editing, and post-production by Carlos Quintero
Notes and Resources
Somos Tucson
• Website: somostucson.com
• Instagram: @somostucson
• Facebook: Somos Tucson
• YouTube: Somos Tucson
• YouTube: Periodistas
Other Independent Media Initiatives in Spanish in Arizona
• Arizona Luminaria
• Tucson Spotlight / El Foco de Tucson
• Conecta Arizona
• Cruzando Líneas Podcast
Academic Programs
• University of Arizona Bilingual Journalism Program
• School of Journalism, University of Arizona
Funding and Support
• Local News Initiative – Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
• Local News Initiative – Medill, Northwestern University
• Local News – MacArthur Foundation
• The Expanding News Deserts – Hussman School of Journalism and Media/Knight Foundation
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