Though it seems hard to believe, it happened like this. Three weeks before the fourth of May, I was in charge of the national desk at EL PAIS, Spain's journal of record. Three weeks less a day before the fourth of May, I became the editor-in-chief of EL PAIS DIGITAL, an ambitious project whose launch was set for the fourth of May, the newspaper's twentieth birthday.

Hardly six months have gone by, and no-one has had second thoughts about our venture: the publisher hasn't, nor the systems department at EL PAIS, nor the journalists and technicians who put the paper together, day-in day-out. Nor, of course, have I. Most grateful, no doubt, are the 30,000 or so readers--half from Spain, and the rest principally from Latin America, the US, and Europe-- who keep a daily rendezvous with EL PAIS DIGITAL.

If I were compelled to define my situation, I would describe it as living the future in the present. Indeed, I would say the Internet is the present. Perhaps the questions I get asked most often, here in Spain, are: whether Internet is worth all the fuss, whether it is worthwhile to be on-line, to be here.

Also, my colleagues at EL PAIS reacted to my appoinment in a curious way: some of them had the feeling that there was something fishy going on. They did not quite believe that someone who had been in charge of the foreign desk for ten years, and who now held the most sought-after post--that of national news editor--could find the idea of getting lost in Cyberspace appealing.

I think I have convinced them all. And what's more, I think I have already made some converts. At present, playing a didactic role within the newspaper may be one of my main responsabilities.

Why is EL PAIS in Internet? The easy answer is that one should always be on the cutting edge. It is one of life's rules that the future belongs to those who take risks, and control the present. The possibilities Internet gives both the media and the world of business are endless. Internet is also, above and beyond all else, COMMUNICATION. It is a worldwide, instantaneous, and always available means of communication.

For a newspaper like El País, Europe's foremost Spanish-language newspaper, is there anything else to be desired? Being on-line guarantees EL PAIS's information leadership as an independent daily and reference source; it enables us to get the most out of new technologies, and more precisely, of one of the most powerful communication tools.

Five women and six men, nine of them journalists and two technicians, constitute the virtual paper's staff. Still, days off, illnesses, holidays and a few weddings now and then are enough to ensure that we have to do our very best; and every night, from 9 pm on, we struggle with the complex and efficient technology designed by the systems team at EL PAIS.

Unlike other electronic publications, EL PAIS Digital is put together exclusively by its staff. Page by page--pictures, graphics, maps, and advertisement included--journalists and technicians edit texts and captions; write headlines; prepare briefs for the cover of each section; include URL (links) between news stories and pages, and with other Internet addresses; and lay out special pages. Once the first page is prepared--at about 4 am--the product is compressed and sent to the TSAI (Telefónica's advanced services) server. Then it is decompressed by remote control, and at 5 am, after having checked that everything is correct, it is put on-line.

EL PAIS Digital interactive sections are the only ones put together by the day shift. Contributions to open debates and letters are read and edited before being set on the pages, and the very many letters received via the suggestions mail box are answered. The day shift also prepares and designs new services, together with EL PAIS's systems, marketing and advertisement departments.

To sum up, EL PAIS Digital is an adventure whose dénouement, as should be the case with adventures, remains to be seen--fortunately.

Mariló Ruiz de Elvira (1996)