Best International Newspapers Online from South America

In order to round out your perspective on news about South America, consider reading an international newspaper online. Many of South America’s interesting papers are available for easy browsing online in English. By combining domestic must-reads like the New York Times and the best international newspapers online from South America, you can stay informed and ensure that you receive a (somewhat) more balanced view of news from the “other” continent in our hemisphere. In addition to learning more about how the US is actually perceived in places like Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina, you’ll expose yourself to news often ignored by the US media. Here is my guide to some of the best international newspapers online from South America.

Please note that these “best international newspapers online” all provide some kind of free access, but you may need to sign up with your email address for full access to stories.

Buenos Aires Herald
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/
Started in 1876, the Buenos Aires Herald is one of the best international newspapers online for briefly summarized mainstream news about South America. As a world-class city, Buenos Aires, Argentina, is considered one of the cultural centers for the continent. Featuring short articles about world and regional news, the Herald can keep you up to speed on Latin American topics. It also runs some succinct and worthwhile editorials, though it does not usually provide sophisticated analysis of issues. It’s an “in-brief” online newspaper for keeping general tabs on the region, a South American version of USA Today.

The Americas Reporter
http://www.americasreporter.net
Coming from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Americas Reporter is a less conventional newspaper, making it a meaty complement to the Buenos Aires Herald. It focuses on some little-reported news and on deft opinion pieces, providing valuable insight into how the United States and other countries interact with Brazil, one of the world’s largest “developing” countries. Their critical coverage of international trade and other economic issues merits some praise. Note: When the page loads, you’ll need to click on the American flag to switch from Portuguese to English.

Latin American Post
http://www.latinamericanpost.com/
The Latin American Post hails from Colombia but lives up to its regional name, providing detailed news on all fronts. This is one of the most comprehensive international newspapers online from South America, with in-depth coverage of breaking news, political landscapes, economic dilemmas, and culturally significant happenings. Whereas most of the other papers I profile here focus on economic and political news, the LAP devotes a lot of time and space to culturally relevant stories and human interest topics: entertainment, cuisine, art, religion, etc. The LAP also regularly reports on gender and sexual orientation issues.

Business News Americas
http://www.bnamericas.com/
Calling itself “Latin America’s business leader,” this newspaper is especially useful for those engaged in commerce with South American firms and/or in South American nations. BNA touts that it follows news by sector, making it easy for users to tailor their experience by their business interest: metals, mining, oil & gas, IT, telecom, etc. The paper is based on Santiago, Chile, with significant operations in Brazil and Venezuela. As you might expect, it reads like an insider rag, and it’s not terribly progressive. That said, it’s well-organized and worth an occasional read just to get a capitalist perspective on South American business and industry. This is a good international newspaper online for investigating US prospecting in South America, but don’t expect any exposés.

Daily Journal
http://www.dj.com.ve/
Given the rocky diplomatic relationship between the United States and Venezuela, the Daily Journal stands out among the best international newspapers online from South America, if only because it frequently showcases alternate views of the bilateral tension. If you want more details on Hugo Chavez and the US response to his administration, look here for updates you won’t see in the conventional American media. Produced in Caracas, the DJ is superbly organized by country, providing stories of import for the whole region, though coverage is most comprehensive for Venezuela itself.

[Remember: Whenever possible, it’s worth investigating international newspapers online to see who actually owns the company, as that undoubtedly affects the slant of the news!]