DarkSmile
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One thing I’ve thought about a lot is those words that once went nowhere and today are within reach of our hands, but it wasn’t always like that. There was a time when finding out something important was almost a luxury. News wasn’t in your hand, or your pocket, much less on a screen. It depended on time, distance, and often, luck.
In ancient times, news was shared in public squares. Heralds traveled through cities announcing political decisions, wars, or important events at the top of their lungs. If you weren’t there, you simply didn’t find out. Information lived in the moment and disappeared with the echo of the voice.
In the Roman Empire came the first major advance: the Acta Diurna appeared, something like the first news bulletins. They were tablets placed in public spaces where decrees, trials, or military victories were written. Of course, only those who knew how to read could understand them, and there weren’t many. Even so, it was a huge step for the time.
In China, official bulletins were handwritten and circulated among government officials on horseback. They were carefully selected and controlled pieces of news. Nothing was released without the approval of those in power, and information moved slowly, passing from hand to hand.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, things became even more complicated. Many people couldn’t read, and news traveled through merchants, pilgrims, and minstrels. A merchant might bring rumors from another city, mixed with exaggerations and personal opinions. That was how “news” was formed: from stories, gossip, and half-truths.
Later on, with the arrival of the printing press in Germany, the landscape began to change. Pamphlets and gazettes started circulating in cities like Paris, London, and Madrid. But it was still a slow process. Printing, distributing, and waiting were required. An important piece of news could arrive after it had already ceased to matter.
In Latin America, during the colonial period, news depended on letters crossing the ocean. Months could pass before people in Mexico, Peru, or Cuba learned what had happened in Spain. When the news finally arrived, it often no longer had real impact, but it was still read carefully because it was the only information available.
Over time came the newspaper, radio, and television. I remember how, in many countries, families would gather around the radio to listen to the news, or how the morning paper set the agenda for the day. There were schedules, official voices, and a clear order. One waited for the news; one did not chase it.
And this is exactly where everything changes. Today, the news doesn’t wait. It finds us. It appears on our phones while we walk, eat, or rest. We are all witnesses, narrators, and distributors. We went from relying on messengers, tablets, letters, and radios to having the entire world concentrated on a screen.
The real challenge is no longer receiving information, but understanding it, questioning it, and knowing what to do with it. Because never in history has it been so easy to deliver news—and never has it been so necessary to learn how to interpret it.
